Gold for D.S.D Women at Nat.Novice C.C. Championships

Mud and rain was the theme once again at the National Novice Cross Country Championships in Abbotstown on Sunday.  With the course already churned up after the Juvenile races, the novice athletes faced classic cross-country conditions – tough, testing, and decidedly for the purists. For the men, it was a day of mixed emotions as they narrowly missed out on the team medals, finishing 4 th overall.  Éanna Ó Brádaigh and Aaron Donnelly were firmly in contention throughout, running with the lead pack and securing excellent 8 th  and 10 th  place finishes in a field of more than 200 athletes.  Andrew McGilton delivered a strong final lap to place 30 th , while Lochlann Hannon completed the scoring four in 50 th . Solid runs also came from Patrick Elliott (88 th ), Conor Halpin (94 th ), and Rick Nally (116 th ). It was especially encouraging to see Conor back competing for the club after a few years away from the sport.  While the men felt the sting of narrow defeat, the women delivered a display of strength and composure that lit up the day for DSD.  Alex Murphy set out with clear intent, staying close to the leaders and handling the challenging terrain with confidence.  Entering the final lap, she was within striking distance of the top four and surged brilliantly in the last kilometre to secure a superb bronze medal.  Close behind, Serena Tuffy powered home in 10 th , keeping DSD firmly in the hunt for team honours.  In her first-ever cross-country race, Emily Witham impressed with a fantastic run for 25 th  place, with Emma Goddard following strongly in 28 th . Their collective performances earned DSD a well-deserved national novice team title, finishing comfortably ahead of Clonliffe in 2 nd  and Annadale Striders in 3 rd . Congratulations to all on a hugely successful – and very muddy – day out! (Thanks Rob for report!)