Strong displays from Finn Valley’s McBrearty and O’Gara

It was a weekend of medals and big performances by Finn Valley AC athletes across the globe.
In Mallusk came the performance of the weekend, though, where a super race and a super run earned Odhrán McBrearty silver in the senior boys event at the All-Ireland Schools Cross Country Championships.
The St Columba’s College student, a back-to-back winner of the intermediate race, dug as deep as ever to push this one all the way.
In the end, Odhrán earned silver, beaten only by Villanova-bound Caolan McFadden from Loreto, Milford.
Odhrán was only around seven seconds behind Caolan and the margins were thinner still back to Lorcan Forde Dunne in third and Conrad Latham in fourth.
This was a real, top-quality race and it was great to see Odhrán firmly in the mix at the front end of the race and taking a podium spot from one of his most notable outings to date.
Odhran will be back at this race next year and already the target is obvious.
Finn Valley AC athlete Leah O’Gara placed fourth in a 5k at the Dudinska 50, a World Athletics Race Walking Tour gold level meet held in Dudinsk, Slovakia on Saturday morning.
Leah finished in 25:47 for fourth with the race won by Sara Kata Alfoldi of Hungary (24:10) ahead of Hanna Chodur from Poland (24:51) and Croatian Lucija Saracevic (25:28).
Leah travelled with coach Sinead McConnell and Tuam AC athletes Savannah O’Callaghan and Cuisle O’Callaghan, daughters of World Athletics Head of Competition and good friend of all at FVAC, were also in action in the event.
There was plenty of Finn Valley AC interest at the Irish Universities Indoor Championships in Dublin on Saturday.
Amy Greene (DCU) won bronze in the 3000m. Amy crossed the line in 10:02.84 for third behind Holly Carroll (UCC) and Sinead Farrell (UU).
Hannah Murray, in the colours of UCD AC, was fourth in a tight 200m final, just 0.01 of a second off bronze.
Amy Timoney (UU) was fifth in the 60m final after finishing in 7.80 seconds having come through her heat in 7.81.
Ace Rodriguez (UU) was fourth in a 200m heat in 23.98 as was Luka Browne (DUH), who finished in 24.46.
Lauren McConnell (ATU) was fourth in her 200m heat, going 26.95, and finished in 8.24 seconds in a 60m heat.
Back at the All-Ireland Schools Cross Country Championships,Tara Rose Smith was 25th in the individual placings of the intermediate girls race.
St Columba’s College, Stranorlar were seventh in the team placings.The St Columba’s team comprised of: Saorla Gilligan (46), Aimee McElchar (53), Leah Kenny (61), Abi McGeehan (85), Lucy McCormack (87), Aoibhe McElchar (97).
The St Columba’s College minor girls team placed eighth: Finn Valley AC’s Caoimhe McNeill led the way in 17th, followed by Aoibhinn Green (49), Aoibheann Moss (60), Rachel McBride (66) and Alison Mbuli (74).
The St Columba’s College, Stranorlar senior boys were fifth team, led by Odhrán McBrearty, the individual silver medal winner, and he was joined by Paraic McGettigan, Dylan Coyle and John O’Connor Donoghue.
Darcie Clarke represented Lumen Christi in the junior girls race, leading her team to fifth spot.
In the United States, Cara Laverty won silver at the New England Indoor Championships.
The Finn Valley AC athlete, a scholarship student at Providence College, was second in the 1000m, setting a new PB of 2:47.05 at the Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center in Boston.
Rhode Island’s Lily Saul won the race in 2:44.12.
Finn Valley AC athlete Sophia Thompson was second in a 1600m at the Ocean Breeze Meet of Champions in New York.
This was a significant run by Sophia who clocked 4:37.60 – fourth now in US High School history, and a time that indicates Sophia is on course for a Donegal Senior 1500m record.
Sophia’s Union Catholic High School teammate Paige Shepard won the race in 4:35.71 while Sadie Thompson was part of a Union Catholic 4x800m relay team that finished fifth at the same meet.
The Thompson sisters are daughters of Terry Thompson, a native of Derryveagh Avenue in Letterkenny.
Nadine McIntyre placed eighth in the NJCAA Nationals, clocking 17:45.39, a new 8-second PB for the Colby Community College scholar.
Finn Valley AC’s Bláthnaid Patton continued her preparation for the Boston Marathon on Sunday morning.
Bláthnaid was in action at the Bohermeen Half Marathon in Co Meath and finished in a new PB of 1:28:05. Bláthnaid was 20th female home out of a field of 1600 competitors.