ATHLETICS
By Paul O’Neill
FRANK Buchanan’s historic win at the Ulster Schools’ Cross-Country Championships was one of the highlights on the athletics front for local students in 2025.
The St Michael’s College pupil became the first Fermanagh athlete to win a senior Ulster Schools Cross Country title since its inception in 1967.
Kate Kelly of Mount Lourdes was also impressive when taking the Minor Girls title, while Harry McKenzie of Enniskillen Royal Grammar School took silver in the Intermediate Boys race.
St Michael’s athlete Piaras Toner won an individual bronze in the Junior Boys race at the event.
There was further success on the team front with Mount Lourdes and St Michael’s putting it up to the best schools in the province.
Mount Lourdes Minor and Junior teams both took gold, while the Intermediate teams won bronze.
They also won the Wilbert Hollinger Cup as the best overall girls school at the championships.
St Michael’s had a great day on the team front, winning two silvers in the Senior and Juniors age groups and two bronze from their Intermediate and Minor outfits.
Their Mini Boys were just off the podium in fourth and despite their strong showing across all five age groups, they lost out on defending the title as Best Overall Boys School.
Irish Schools
At the Irish Schools, the individual win by Kate Kelly got Mount Lourdes Grammar School off to the perfect start.
After a conservative start, Maeve Donnelly, Kate Cassidy and Erin Quigley and along with the other team members Lucy Gallagher, Grace Toye, Ellena Campbell and Maddie Maguire all performing well.
They did enough to take the team gold with 16 points to spare.
In the Minor Boys, St Michael’s runners Sean Lunney and Emmet Coyle positioned themselves well in the top 20 in a field of up to 120 competitors.
Lunney and Coyle worked off each other throughout and improved on the second lap with both performing really well finishing just outside the top 10 in 13th and 14th.
St Michael’s did more than enough to see them take home the silver medals behind an extremely strong St Colman’s Newry.
St Michael’s had another strong hand in the Junior Boys. The team was led home by Finn Elliott who came through the field strongly to just pip teammate Piaras Toner in battle for 10th.
Elliott gained selection for the School International with his time, while Daniel Hoy and Kian Martin rounded out the scoring quartet giving their team a total of 93 points.
In the Senior Boys race, St Michael’s scraped a bronze, squeezing out the Mullingar outfit Coláiste Mhuire by one point.
The team was led home by Frank Buchanan in seventh place, his highest finish ever at the championships.
Tiernan McManus was the next St Michael’s athlete to finish in 32nd, followed by Charlie Reihill in 35th and Jamie McDonnell closing out the scoring four in 42nd position.
Jack Donnelly (44th), Max Murphy (65th), Josh Hamill (73rd) and Ronan Gilbride (75th) also competed strongly.
Track & Field
In the the Track & Field Championships, Annabelle McKenzie led from gun to tape to record an impressive victory in the Intermediate Girls 1500m Steeplechase.
The ERGS athlete great endurance and technical proficiency winning in a time of 5.29.36.
Annabel Morrison, also representing Enniskillen Grammar, was another to write herself into the record books in the final of the Senior Girls 3000m.
She showed all of her class to take a convincing win, setting an Ulster Schools record of 9.44.52.
At the Irish Schools a fortnight later, Morrison won a silver medal.
The were also three silver medallists from the county with Jack O’Connor over 400m, Jack Donnelly in the 1500m Steeplechase and Kate Kelly second in the Minor Girls 800m.
In mid-June, Fermanagh had four representatives on the Ulster team at the Schools Interprovincial in Carlow.
Tori Lilly competed in the 300m Hurdles, Annabel Mc Kenzie and Jack Donnelly ran in the Steeplechasers and O’Connor won bronze over 200m.
Elsewhere, Edel Monaghan made the Irish team for the World Mountain Running Championships and for the World Mountain Running Cup race in Italy.
She was a member of the Dublin City Harriers that competed in the Mixed Cross Country Relay at the European Clubs Championships.
