McDonnell wins Coach of the Year award

John McDonnell has capped a remarkable indoor athletics season by being named the Male Coach of the Year by the United States Track Coaches Association (USTCA).

University of Arkansas head coach McDonnell, from Mayo, claimed an unprecedented 40th US national collegiate title and 18th national indoor crown at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships earlier this month.

The 66-year-old had already guided Ireland’s Alistair Cragg to a gold medal in the 3,000 metres at the European Indoor Championships in Madrid.

McDonnell’s magic touch has continued into the start of his 33rd outdoor season at the helm for the Razorbacks.

At the Stanford Invitational meet in California on Good Friday, the coach saw his athlete Josphat Boit run a world-leading time of 28 minutes 7.27 seconds to win the 10,000m, smashing the Arkansas record by almost 13 seconds.