Double Bronze for D.S.D at Nationals ***

MORE PHOTOS !!!

Templemore sports complex in Derry was the venue for the 2025 National Junior and Senior Cross Country Championships.  A cold, wet and windy day was on the cards, and the underfoot conditions favoured the true cross-country athletes, with plenty of muck and tight turns to contend with.

The success of the day for DSD came in the senior women's race where Eimear Maher, finishing 10th overall, led a strong women's team to bronze in an extremely competitive event.  Undeterred by the underfoot conditions and fresh from her European U23 1500m medal this summer, Eimear got stuck in, and also won individual bronze in the u23 category, putting herself in prime position for selection on the Irish u23 team at the upcoming European Cross Country Championships. Next home for DSD was Meghan Ryan, just weeks after her impressive outing at the Dublin Marathon.  Meghan, in 28^th, was closely followed by Alex Murphy and Ella Fennelly, who weren't far behind, finishing in 33^rd and 34^th, respectively. The team was closed out by Holly Carroll (61^st) and Serena Tuffy (70^th). The team claimed a well-deserved bronze medal behind Leevale and Finn Valley who took the top two spots. 

The senior men were also out in force and battled hard in an extremely competitive senior men's race.  Emmet Jennings had the run of the day, extracting every ounce of energy to finish in a very solid 23^rd place.  Paul O'Donnell, taking a step back into racing after his recent national bronze at the Dublin Marathon a few weeks ago, was the second DSD man home, finishing in 29^th place.  Éanna Ó’Brádaigh was close behind, in 36^th, with Killian Mooney finishing as 4^th scorer in 45^th position.  Aaron Donnelly, John Neville and Andrew McGilton rounded out the team, with the performance being good enough for 5^th place in the hotly contested team competition.

Earlier in the day, there were gutsy performances in the combined u18 and u20 races. The girls race saw a team of Aoife Fitzpatrick, Lily Kate McCarthy, Isabella Prina Mello, Sadhbh Hasset and Róisín Hanley Byrne finish 12^th u18 team and 13^th u20.  The boys team, which included Jake Mathews, Ewan Kennedy, Tadhg Bartelink, Fionn Neville, Seán McMahon and Lochlann Hannon, finished 17^th team in the u20 category.

Well done to all! 

Thanks to Tony for extra "muddy" photos!