The Ulster Schools returned to Antrim Forum for the first time since 2019 with all involved excited to be back after the Covid enforced hiatus.
Matthew Lavery was the stand out performer for the College pushing the pace in the senior boys 5000m from the start. Very quickly a group of three including team mate Luke Kelly broke clear of the field, extending their lead as the race progressed. Around the 3000m mark Luke took the lead for around a lap. The brief respite from leading seemed to refresh Matthew as he retook the pole position and pulled away for victory over the final mile to win in 15.27. Luke was pleased to record a personal best (15.44) for 3rd, especially given he had missed some time with injury at the end of the cross country season. This was Matthew’s second Ulster Championship of the year, adding to the cross country title he won back in February.
Finn Diver ran a smart race in the Inter boys 3000m to claim the silver medal, a fantastic performance given he has another year in the age group. A pair of his competitors set off at a fast pace, but Finn was confident to run his own race. He paced himself well, maintained his focus throughout, and reeled in one of the pair with 600m to go. He passed him quickly and finished strongly to record a personal best of 9.20.
Matthew, Luke and Finn will compete at the All-Ireland Schools T&F on Saturday 4th June in Tullamore, Co. Offaly.
In the Junior boys 1500m Eoin McConnell (4.44) and Liam Walsh (4.48) ran gutsy races to each record personal bests and finish in 6th and 7th places respectively. Evan Stanly was pleased to record a personal best of 4.21 for 8th place in a good quality senior boys 1500m, while Diarmuid Hanna claimed 6th place (2.05) in a tactical senior boys 800m race. Aidan O’Hara finished in 10th place in the Mini boys 100m, narrowly missing out on a place in the final.