Donegal delight at Ulster District Schools Cross Country

Odhran McBrearty, Andrea Reid and Tristan Green won golds at the Ulster District Schools Cross Country Championships on Friday.

McBrearty hit the jackpot in the Intermediate Boys race with Reid taking Junior Girls honours and Greene winning the Minor Boys event.

At the Finn Valley AC-hosted event, McBrearty and Reid - students at St Columba’s College in Stranorlar - won on home turf with Rosses ace Green adding to the Donegal success on a day when there were also team medals to toast.

In mucky underfoot conditions after a stormy week, McBrearty blew away from the field, steadily opening the gaps to take the win from Luke O’Doherty (St Patrick’s, Maghera) and Rosses Community School’s Odhran Rodgers.

McBrearty recently made his debut in the Irish vest and the Drumkeen teenager has been firmly on the march lately. The ever-improving McBrearty added a latest gold to the widening mantlepiece on Friday.

With another Finn Valley AC trio Jamie Gallagher fifth, Paraic McGettigan sixth, and Brian Lyons ninth St Columba’s College were also the team winners.

Sarah Henry was fourth in the Senior Girls event and was joined by Sophia Ward in sixth and Keira Keogh in 13th for team silvers.

Bronze medal winner Adam McDaid led the St Eunan’s College, Letterkenny charge to grab the team gold in the Senior Boys, ably backed by Ciaran Logue in sixth, Kieran McFeeley in 10th and Caolan Spratt in 12th.

They won team honours from St Columba’s Colleges’ Lorcan Byrne (5), Fionn Hennigan (13), Matthew McGeehan (15) and Matthew Callan (16), while Pilib MacAoidh from Colaiste Ailigh left with the individual senior silver, behind Ballyclare High School’s Tom Fleming.

Anna Russell was the Intermediate girls silver medal winner. The Letterkenny AC woman, who attends Loreto Letterkenny, was second behind Lumen Christi’s excellent gold winner, Clara Casey.

Anna Russell with her silver medal

Reid bagged gold in the Junior Girls race and led St Columba’s College to a superb team gold.

Reid translated a fine 2023 campaign to Friday’s race, seeing off Molly Blair from Larne Grammar School to take the win.

Reid’s fellow Finn Valley AC athlete Aimee McElchar was the bronze medalist while Abi McGeehin in fourth ensured that St Columba’s took the team honours with Moville Community School’s Muireann Doyle (10), Mary O’Gorman (17) and Isla Faulkner (18) scoring for team bronze.

Green was an impressive gold medalist in the Minor Boys race, winning form Foyle College’s Harry Francis and Tom Farmer from St Mary’s, Magherafelt. Rosses AC athlete and Rosses Community School scholar Green led the charge to take victory.

Moville CC won team silver in the Junior Boys, where Owen Lynch (6), Teddy Friel (20), Rueben Devenney (27) and Shane Doherty (29) scored.

St Columba’s College, Stranorlar pair Niamh McGlinchey and Saorla Gilligan took silver and bronze in the Minor Girls event. St Mary’s Derry woman Cara Doran took gold with Loreto, Letterkenny’s Ella Brennan fourth behind Finn Valley pair McGlinchey and Gilligan.

With Aoibhinn McElhinney also scoring in seventh, St Columba’s landed the team gold.

Liam McEldowney (20), Luke Elliott (39) and James McCabe (40) scored for St Eunan’s College, Letterkenny to earn team bronze in the Minor Boys.

Finn Valley AC athlete Darcie Clarke, a student at Lumen Christi in Derry was the Mini Girls silver medal winner, beaten only by Coleraine Grammar School’s Grace Callaghan.