Aprul 10th - AAI Juvenile Indoor Championships
James Treanor finished his indoor season on a high note when he powered out a fast 1500m walk to win the under 18 title today in Nenagh at the National Juvenile Championships. James put the boot down from the gun, covering the opening kilometer in an impressively fast 4:01 minutes, and then led the field home for a winning time of 6:12 minutes.
Also competing in Nenagh for Shercock was Edel Kieran who qualified for the final of the under 16 800m as third fastest qualifier, however she was unable to find her best form in the final and finished in seventh place.
March 28th - Ciaran O'Reilly showed e return to form at the national indoor championships when he achieved a podium finish in the under 17 shot putt. A great effort of 12.53m in the final round saw him move into second place, only to be overtaken at the finish, leaving him in the bronze medal position. Ciaran's best throw of 12.53m, a new personal best, represented an improvement of 2m on his performance in the Ulster championships earlier this year.
Also performing well at the national juvenile championships was Jessica Drohan who reached the final of the under 16 60m hurdles and finished in sixth place overall, a great result in her first season at the event. Shane Duffy was also in action in the under 12 long jump, in which he finished seventh with a best jump of 4.10m.
February 27th - Ulster Juvenile Championships, Magherafelt
Shercock athletes were in top form today when the second stage of the Ulster juvenile indoor championships were held at the magnificent Meadowbank Arena in Magherafelt. Highlights on the day included gold medal winning performances by James Treanor (left, walk), Shane Duffy (60m) and Liam Kiernan (high jump). The 1500m races saw two impressive runs as both Edel Kieran and Niall Clerkin secured bronze. Blaithin Hughes won silver in the 60m hurdles while fourth place finishes were achieved by Celine Clerkin (300m) and Blaithin Hughes (60m). The day concluded with some very exciting relay events and Shercock were to the fore once again with the under 16 boys taking silver (Niall Clerkin, Senan McGeever, Ciaran O'Reilly and Ryan Rogers), the under 16 girls won bronze (Edel Kieran, Emma Duffy, Kelly Colton and Jessica Drohan) while the under 18 boys and under 12 boys finished just outside the medals in fifth and fourth respectively.
February 25th - Noel Carroll had a positive run in the Armagh International 5k today - finishing inside his personal best with a time of 15:22 for the distance.
Scottish Indoor Championships: Two Shercock athletes were in action in the Scottish juvenile indoo championships. Ryan Rogers set a personal best of 1.58m to finish fourth in the high jump. Padraig Donagh progressed to the final of the under 15 800m where he finished in fifth place.
February 13th - Irish Universities Indoor Championships
Pictured at the Irish Univerisiies Indoor Championships in Nenagh are Shercock athletes Richard Tsang and Noel Carroll (University of Ulster), Matthew O'Reilly (Carlow IT), Paul Fitzpatrick (Dundalk IT), John McGeever (coach), James Ruxton (Dublin City University), Hugh Fitzpatrick (Trinity College Dublin) and Craig Lynch (Dublin City University).
A number of Shercock athletes were in action at the Universities Indoor Championships in Nenagh at the weekend. Paul Fitzpatrick (Dundalk IT) made a return to competition after a layoff due to illness and successfully defended his indoor title, winning the 2k walk comfortably in a time of 8:52. Richard Tsang had a busy day, beginning with the triple jump where a best effort of 12.04m left him in third place. Richard also went on to finish 8th in the long jump and helped his University of Ulster team to third place in the relay. Matthew O'Reilly (Carlow IT) threw well in the shot put competition, finishing fourth with a best effort of 11.70m. James Ruxton (DCU) made it to the final of the 400m where he finished fourth in a close finish. Craig Lynch (DCU) achieved the same result in the 60m final. Noel Carroll (UU) found himself up against a strong field in the 3000m, however a very fast closing lap saw him overtake several positions to finish fifth behind race winner Liam Reale. Noel was also rewarded with a new indoor personal best of 8:53 for the distance. Hugh Fitzpatrick was in action in the weight for distance for TCD, finishing seventh with a best throw of 7.63m
February 6th & 7th
Positive Return to Competition by Ruxton and Lynch at Irish Indoors.
The national senior championships at Belfast's Odyssey Arena proved to be a watershed for two of the club's most successful athletes as James Ruxton and Craig Lynch attempted to put an injury ridden 2009 firmly in the rear-view mirror. Craig was first into action in the heats of the senior men's 60m and despite a conservative start he powered to the head of the field to win his first race of 2010. James Ruxton found himself drawn against strong opposition in his 400m heat but was determined to make good his return to competition for the 2010 season. Making a critical move at the break he moved positively into second place, shadowing the leader down the back strainght before moving strongly into the lead off the final bend for a hard-earned and well-deserved victory. Both Craig and James can now look forward to a positive season in 2010 having put a troublesome 2009 behind them.
16 year old James Treanor stepped up to the line in the men's 5000m in the prestigious company of three Olympians. While Robert Heffernan beat out a relentless pace at the front on his way to the title, James found himself well ahead of his target time after a fast opening 2k. Finding strength that belied his relative youth he held on through a gruelling last 3km to cross the line in 22:11 - far ahead of his most ambitious expectations and ranking seventh in his first Irish Senior competition. With a good 5km under his belt, James is looking forward to his first attempt at 10km, which will take place in the Isle of Man in March, when he hopes to achieve the qualifying standard for the European Youth Olympics of 47 minutes.
Matthew O'Reilly was in action once again in the shot putt, finishing well in sixth place with a best effort of 11.29m.
The first stage of the Ulster juvenile championships was held alongside the senior competition and a number of young Shercock athletes featured on the medal rostrum. Edel Kieran led from gun to tape in the under 16 800m, smashing her PB with an excellent time of 2:23.47, which also stands as a new club record. Jess Drohan made a dramatic move from distance running to sprint hurdles and was rewarded with a silver medal in her first competition. Darina Fitzpatrick kept the family tradition going in the 1000m walk, also winning a silver medal, while Ciaran O'Reilly threw the shot 9.95m to finish third in the under 16 event.
