It has been a busy and rewarding few weeks for the DCU Athletics Academy squad, with important wins in both the IUAA and AAI Junior and U23 Indoor Championships.
At the IUAA Indoor Championships in Athlone on February 7th, DCU athletes broke 13 club records and retained both the Ladies and Men’s titles for the seventh successive year.
It was the women who were the big winners on the day, cleaning up with a total of 20 medals (six gold, eight silver and six bronze). Sarah McCarthy (5.83m in the Long Jump) and Cathriona Farrell (1.81m in the high jump) set new IUAA records, while Saragh Buggy won the triple jump with 11.82m.
Catherine McManus set two personal bests in the 60m (7.50 and a new DCU club record) and 60m hurdles (8.58), while Louise Kiernan (24.73 in the 200m), Emma Daly (7.63m in the 8Kg weight) and Sophie Parkinson Brown (12.19 in the shot put) also set new DCU records.
The women recorded four first and second finishes with Shauna Cannon (55.75) and Grainne Moynihan (56.77) in the 400m, Mary Anne O’Sullivan (2.17.66) and Brona Furlong (2.17.80) in the 800m, Farrell (1.81m) and Emily Rogers (1.67m) in the high jump and McCarthy (5.83m) and Lorraine O’Shea (5.38m) in the long jump.
The 4 x 200m relay team of McManus, McCarthy, Sarah Murray and Katie Brennan were also convincing winners in their category.
The men also impressed, winning 15 medals in total (four gold, seven silver and four bronze).
New IUAA records were set by Kourosh Foroughi in the combined events (3691 points) and by the 4 x 200m relay team of Mark Kavanagh, Dara Kervick, Timmy Crowe and Eoin Mulhall.
New DCU records were set by Steven Colvert (6.87 in the 60m), Kavanagh (21.99 in the 200m), Crowe (47.57 in the 400m), David McCarthy (3.46.37 in the 1500m) and James Treanor (7.56.93 in the 2000m walk).
The men recorded two first and second victories with Foroughi (2.05m and 3691 points) and Michael Bowler (2.00m and 3680 points) in the high jump and combined events. DCU also recorded the only first, second and third of the championships, with Shane Aston placing third in the combined events with 3316 points.
McCarthy starred with a new indoor 1500m personal best (3.39.14) and qualified for the World Indoors in March. In the same race, John Coghlan (3.43.31) and Joe Warne (3.43.62) also set new personal bests.
Anita McSorley
Image Credit: Laoise Moggan
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