Monaghans and Nevilles all smiles

Twins featured strongly at yesterday’s Woodie’s DIY National Junior & Under 23 Track & Field Championships in Tullamore, with the Monaghans and Nevilles sharing four medals between them.

Patrick Monaghan (Lagan Valley AC) won the junior 1,500m title in 3:54.18 after a battle with his twin brother Andrew who was second in 3:56.00. The twins travel to Mississippi State on a scholarship in August.

Twins also featured in the junior 400m hurdles where Jessica Neville (Leevale AC) was second in 61.84 seconds with her twin sister Christine third in 64.33. Clare Murphy (St. Laurence O’Toole AC) won in 60.83.

Marcus Lawler was an impressive winner of the junior 200m in 21.47 seconds, with Greg O’Shea (Dooneen AC) second in 21.79. O’Shea had earlier won the 100m in 11.07 seconds.

Phil Healy (Bandon AC) completed an impressive 100m/200m junior double in 12.05/24.95 seconds.

Thomas Barr (Ferrybank AC) won the U23 400m hurdles in 51.67 seconds from Tim Crowe (Dooneen AC) who was second in 52.80 and Paul Byrne (St. Abban’s AC) — third in 53.04.

Ben Kiely completed a Ferrybank AC hurdles double when he won the junior title in 53.76 seconds.

Paul Collins (North Westmeath AC) won the junior shot with a throw of 14.98m, just 13cm clear of John Kelly (Finn Valley AC).

Kate Veale (West Waterford AC) notched up another national title in the junior 3,000m walk in 14:56.61, with Alicia Boylan (Oriel AC) a very close second in 14:58.61.

James McCabe (Dunboyne AC) threw 68.62 meters in the first round of the junior hammer and that proved good enough to win, with Irish junior record holder Dempsey McGuigan (Finn valley AC) second with 68.03m.

Another Finn Valley athlete, Sarah Collins, completed a 1,500m/5,000m junior double in 4:42.88/17:18.55.

Niamh Whelan (Ferrybank AC) won the U23 100m in 11.92 seconds from Steffi Creaner (Dublin City Harriers) in 12.03. The places were reversed in the 200m with Creaner winning in 24.22 to Whelan’s 24.27.

The men’s U23 200m was won by Paul Whelan (Dublin Striders) in 22.26 from Laurence O’Reilly (Tullamore Harriers) in 22.67.

There was another polished display of hurdling by Sarah Lavin (Emerald AC) who won the junior 100m hurdles in 13.89.

There were two good performances in the high jump competitions with Barry Pender (St. Abban’s AC) winning the U23 title with 2.13m and Pippa Rogan (Sli Cualann AC) taking the junior event with 1.74m.

The junior men’s 800m saw Dean Cronin (Blarney/Inniscarra AC) win a closely fought race in 1:52.73 from Sean Tobin (Clonmel AC) 1:53.05 and Shane Fitzsimons (Mullingar AC) 1:54.45.

Karl Griffin (Tir Chonaill AC) dropped down in distance and won the junior men’s 400m in 49.52 seconds from Paul Scanlan (Leevale AC) with 50.18.

Eoin Mulhall (Crusaders AC) won the U23 400m in 48.24.

Oliver Back (St. Coca’s AC) showed a good return from injury to win the U23 100m in 10.79 from Dean Adams (Ballymena & Antrim AC) in 10.98