Ballymena Academy had another very successful year at the District Cross Country Championships held at the University of Ulster, Coleraine, on Tuesday 2nd February.Two teams have gained places at the Ulster Championships due to take place on Wednesday 24th February, and two individual athletes have also qualified to compete.
Despite the bad weather in the weeks leading up to the event conditions stayed dry and were almost ideal although as usual there were some tricky muddy spots to be negotiated.
The first race of the day was the Minor Girls race. Once again this year there was a large field with 86 competing. Sarah Greer had a fantastic run and led the minor girl’s team home in 4th place. As a result of this great run Sarah qualified for the Ulster where she will be looking for another good result. Next in for the Academy were Leah Rodden in 16th and Kathryn Morrow in 18th. Leah also managed to qualify for the Ulster Championships however Kathryn just missed out by a couple of places. The three girls were well backed up by the rest of their team which comprised of Zoe Montgomery, Jessica Warwick and Ruth Scott. Their enthusiasm and work ethic in training translated into much deserved success.
Next up was the Minor Boys race which proved to be fast and furious. Jonathan McKeown put in a very creditable performance and was very unlucky to miss out on qualification for the Ulster Championships. Despite fierce competition the Minor Boys team of Jonathan McKeown, Michael McLarnon, Jack Archer, Frazier Howe, Adam Steele, George Graham and Ethan Jones put in a solid performance and can build on this for future years.
The next race involving Ballymena Academy was the Junior Boys race. This race proved hard work for the team as they were the youngest in the event and had to compete against older more experienced boys. First in was Josh Mcllroy in 56th place closely followed by Adam Kerr in 58th, Rowan Armstrong in 63rd and Paul Gordon in 90th. With more solid training and another year of racing they can do well next time around.
The first team success of the day came in the Junior Girls race in which the Academy featured very highly. All four members finished high up in the field with Gillian Weir leading the team home in 11th. She was closely followed by Sarah McBride in 12th, Sara Montgomery in 17th and Emma Simpson in 21st. All four girls can go into the Ulster Championships with great confidence knowing they have the ability to do very well.
The last race of the day, the Senior Boys race, also brought the second team success. With a much smaller field the Senior Boys fared well and were very close to winning the Senior Boys race as a team. Club Captain Jack Neeson was narrowly piped to the winning post by Patrick McCann of St. Louis after making a late surge on the final lap. Next home was Zach Mitchell in a very good 6th place-reaping the benefit of much hard work throughout the winter. Corey McKendry put in a very gutsy performance to finish in 13th place and was closely followed by Conor McKeown in 21st. The success in the District Championships leaves Ballymena Academy with 10 competitors with the chance to compete against the very best of Ulster on Wednesday 24th February at Belfast Playing Fields, Mallusk.
Report thanks to Jack Neesen.
Photographs thanks to Mr. Wilson.
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