Donegal athletes enjoy a golden Saturday at Ulster Championships

Donegal athletes were in dominant mood throughout the Ulster Even Age Cross Country Championships, held alongside the Bobby Rea International on Saturday.

At the Billy Neill Country Park, Amy Greene, Caolan McFadden, Odhran McBrearty and Tristan Greene claim excellent individual gold medals while Finn Valley AC claimed five of the team golds and another team silver.

A superb run by Amy Greene saw the Finn Valley AC woman lead the way in the under-20s race.

Greene won the Donegal Novice Cross Country earlier this month in Carndonagh and impacted well with a fourth-place finish at last weekend’s Autumn Open in Abbotstown.

On Saturday, her’s was a real eye-catching performance, seeing off Roise Roberts of North Belfast Harriers for the gold.

Letterkenny AC pair Noelene Scanlon and Natasha Adams were seventh and 10th in the senior women’s race. Scanlon and Adams were part of the Northern Ireland and Ulster team for the Bobby Rea International. In the senior men’s race, Oisin Toye from Finn Valley AC was the lead Donegal man, coming home in 30th.

McFadden set down a marker when winning the under-18 boys race. The Cranford AC man, last year’s national under-16 champion - when he won on home soil at Rosapenna - edged out Lagan Valley’s Charlie Jones.

McFadden had five seconds to spare and continued his fine form having won the national under-17 800m on the track during the summer.

Caolan McFadden on the podium after his win.

An assault on national success will now loom for the Loreto Community School student in the coming weeks.

McBrearty continued on his winning ways when storming to glory in the under-16 boys. The Finn Valley AC man cross the line ahead of Lagan Valley’s Noah Harper.

McBrearty has been in fine fettle in recent weeks and was an impressive victor here.

Lagan Valley pipped Finn Valley to the team golds with McBrearty joined on the scoring team by  Paraic McGettigan (16), Brian Lyons (26), Jamie Gallagher (29).

Rosses AC’s Tristan Greene won the under-14 boys race. Greene got in ahead of Charlie Taggart to grab an impressive victory.

Tristan Greene of Rosses AC after winning under-14 gold.

Darci Clarke led the way for Finn Valley AC’s under-14 girls to win team gold. Clarke was the silver medal winner, beaten only by Madison Welby from City of Lisburn.

Finn Valley were strong victors with Aimee McElchar fourth, Andrea Reid fifth and Saorla Gilligan eighth.

Elsa Moore (Lifford-Strabane) and Sarah Henry (Letterkenny) were fourth and fifth in the under-18 girls race.

Finn Valley also took the team honours in the under-14 boys - Jayden Sproule 11th, Peter Gallagher 16th, Mark Alexander 21st and Oisin Browne 23rd - and the under-12 girls - Ciara McCusker fourth, Aoibhinn Greene sixth, Caoimhe McNeill eighth and Jasmine Barrett-Doherty 13th.

Finn Valley AC’s Shay McHugh took silver in the under-10 boys race and he was joined by Darragh Coyle (13), Lucas Lindsey (22) and Brody McMenamin (24) for the team gold.

Eve Ni Giolla Bhain of Letterkenny AC was the bronze medallist in the under-10 girls with Finn Valley’s quartet of Caitlin Gillespie (fourth), Ellen Rose Carlin (fifth), Emily McBride (sixth) and Eve Maguire (ninth) taking team honours.