National League Team Result
Our young Dooneen girls team made the trip to Athlone for Day 2 of the Athletics Ireland Indoor League competition.
Transition Year student Emer Purtill gave the team the perfect start, taking maximum points in the 4kg shot put with a massive throw of 13.31m. This set the tone for what turned out to be a great day.
Sixteen-year-old sprint star Destiny Lawal made a welcome return from injury, giving the team a big boost in the 60m sprint. Leagh Moloney’s season continues to build, and she impressed once again in the long jump.
Emer Purtill was back in action later in the day, delivering another strong performance in the high jump. Another Transition Year student, Ella Grace Osborne, swapped the mud of cross country for the comfort of indoor racing and proved just as effective with a strong sprint finish in the 1500m.
Young Niamh Hynes is developing a habit of producing personal bests when it matters most, and she did so again with a textbook run in the 400m.
The 4 x 200m relay team of Grace Mainoo, Destiny Lawal, and sisters Éanna Ní Huigín and Isbeál Ní Huigín rounded off the scoring with a thrilling performance against the highly rated Ratoath team.
However, the performance of the day surely belongs to Sinead McDermott, whose only experience of race walking up until two days earlier was walking to the shop! True club members step up when needed, and Sinead did exactly that, showing incredible grit and technique to push the team into 2nd place on the day and 3rd overall.
Excitement is already building, with finals day taking place next Saturday, 14th February!
This followes one from the Day 1 success back in January.
It was a momentous day for Dooneen AC as our young women’s National League team proved they can more than hold their own against the top club teams in Ireland.
The National League presents a unique challenge, testing athletes both physically and mentally, with many of our girls stepping outside their comfort zones to compete in unfamiliar events.
International sprinter Destiny Lawal took on a new challenge in the weight for distance, narrowly missing out on first place after being edged out in the final round. The youngest member of the squad, 16-year-old Isbéal Ní Huigín, showed remarkable courage as she competed in the pole vault for the very first time.
Leah Moloney delivered a strong series of jumps to earn valuable points for Team Dooneen, while middle-distance runners Aimee McMahon and Ella Grace Osborne stepped away from their demanding cross-country schedule to contribute further points in the 3000m and 800m events.
Young Megan O’Shea faced senior competition for the first time and looked completely at home, producing slick hurdling to add more important points. Éanna Ní Huigín returned to top form with an impressive win in her 200m heat.
The 4x400m relay team of Niamh Hynes, Sophia Meaney, Vivian Amaeze and Meabh Purtill delivered when it mattered most in the final race of the day, lifting Team Dooneen up the rankings and ahead of the renowned Finn Valley AC — a perfect way to finish.
Dooneen AC sat comfortably in 5th place out of 15 teams after the first day.
