In pictures: Stephen McAuley and Nakita Burke win Donegal Senior Cross Country titles

Click on the arrows to go through the photos by Herbie Barr

Letterkenny AC duo Stephen McAuley and Nakita Burke won the individual golds at the Donegal Senior Cross Country Championships on Sunday.

The event was hosted by Inishowen AC in Carndonagh and a dominant Letterkenny AC won the men’s team gold with Finn Valley AC taking the women’s title.

It was a 1-2-3 for Letterkenny AC in the senior men’s event.

The black and amber were led home by recent recruit Stephen McAuley who continued his impressive sojourn of form with a big win.

McAuley had around 27 seconds to spare on LAC team-mate Eoghain McGinley. Donal Farren, another LAC man, was not far behind in third.

Finn Valley AC pair John Joe Doherty and Oisin Toye were fourth and fifth, but with John McCallion sixth, Michael Black eighth and Mark McPaul ninth it was Letterkenny AC who left with the team honours.

Letterkenny AC’s Nakita Burke edged out Rosses AC woman Helen McCready in the women’s race with Finn Valley AC athlete Leoni Cooke third.

Cooke led Finn Valley AC to the team gold, followed by Maggie O’Hara (5), Sally McMenamin (6( and Joanne McNabb (10).

McCready, Nicole O’Donnell (7), Martina Mulhern (8) and Cathy Breslin (9) earned team silver for Rosses AC.

Finn Valley AC - Doherty, Toye, Enda Doherty (11), Shaun Bannigan (14), Barry Gallagher (16) and Darren Toland (17) left with men’s silver and Cranford AC’s sextet of John McFadden (18), Liam Doherty (20), Adam Friel (23), Declan McBride (24), Ryan McBride (26) and Hugh Duffy (28) bagged bronze.

The Even Age Championships also took place alongside the Senior Championships on Sunday.

Finn Valley AC took six of the nine team titles on offer, including the U18 girls who were taken home by Saorla Gilligan in second.

Gilligan was beaten only by Letterkenny AC’s Emma Bonar, the individual winner, while Holly McNulty, Darcie Clarke, Andrea Reid, Abi McGeehan and Nia Byrne were all inside the top seven for Finn Valley AC.

Gilligan, Clarke, Reid and McGeehan were the first four in the U16 standings to take team gold for Finn Valley AC.

Cranford AC’s Michael Moore won the U18 race with Alex McMullin second for Tir Chonaill.

Milford AC took the U16 title via Charlie Martin (4), Tiernan Kerr (5), Daithi Catterson (6) and Lochlan McBride (11), with race winner Evan Ward leading the line for second-placed Rosses AC.

Caoimhe McNeill from Finn Valley AC won the U14 girls race, the team honours there going to LAC who had the next four finishers: Katie McDowell, Niamh Woods, Siobhan Gallagher and Zoe Marley.

An impressive winner in Cian Neeson topped the pile in the U14 boys and Neeson was joined by Dylan Temple (6), Kyle Doherty (6) and Shea Irwin (7) for team gold.

Oisin Gallagher of Tir Chonaill won the U12 boys race and Eve Nic Giolla Bhain from LetterkennY AC won the U12 girls event.

Finn Valley AC won both team golds in U12s with Muireann Burke (2), Caitlin Gillespie (3), Erin Moy (5) and Sorcha Cunningham (6) taking girls gold while Zach McKinley (2), Shay McHugh (3), Darragh Coyle (4) and Byron Boyle (6) winning the boys gold.

Finn Valley AC’s Cora Clarke (1), Enya Gallagher (4), Ailbhe Coyle (7) and Freya Dorrian (9) won U10 girls gold and the U10 boys crown also went to Finn Valley AC, who had Jude Martin (1), Blake Keenan (2), Eoin Cunningham (5) and Daithin Bonner (9) scoring.