Lavin Wins Athlete of the Meet at AVIVA All Ireland Schools Track & Field Championships

At the AVIVA All-Ireland Schools' Track & Field championships on the 2nd June in Tullamore, Sarah Lavin (Castletroy College) won the Lar Byrne Memorial Trophy for athlete of the meet. Lavin dominated the Senior Girl's 100m Hurdles to take the title in a personal best and championships best performance of 13.73, breaking the record held by her coach Noelle Morrissey of 14.1 since 1983. The Limerick athlete began 2012 in style by equalling Derval O'Rourke's national junior record in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.46 and then went on to achieve the World Junior Track and Field B qualification time for the 100m Hurdles on three occasions to insure her selection for the Irish Team for the championships in July.

There was also a championships best performance in the Senior Girl's 400m Hurdles by Nessa Cooper Millet (Kilkenny College) of 60.63. Millet's time was inside the Athletics Ireland, World Junior Track and Field B qualification time of 60.75. European Youth Olympic Gold Medallist, Ben Kiely (Tramore C.B.S) took both the Senior Boy's 400 meters hurdles in 54.31 and 400m title in 49.72.

Marcus Lawlor (CBS Carlow) displayed his class in the Senior Men's 100m to won in 10.72 from Greg O'Shea (Crescent Col. Limerick) in 10.87, both set personal bests. Lawlor went onto won the 200m in convincing style in 21.64. Cliona Manning (Loreto Kilkenny) won the Senior Women's 100m in 11.91 and the 200m title went to Phil Healy (Colaiste na Toirbhirte) in 24.76.

There was a reverse of last year's results in the Senior Boy's 800m when Karl Griffin (Abbey Vocational Donegal) won his first schools title, crossing the line in 1.52.95 beating the defending champion Dean O'Croinin (Colaiste na Phiarsaigh) in 1.55.03. There was an upset in the girl's 800m when Rachel O'Shea (Beara Community School) won in 2.10.19 beating last year's champion Amy O'Donoghue (Villiers Schools Limerick) who finished in 2.12.9. O'Donoghue also had to contend with a second place in the 1500m which was won by Lorna Fitzpatrick in 4.41.58.

World Youth Champion, Kate Veale (St. Augustine's Dungravan), although off her championship best time of last year dominated the Senior Women's 3000m walk to retain her title in 13.01.05. The Senior Girl's Cup was won by Crescent Limerick, while the Senior Boy's President Shield was won by Belvedere College.

In the Intermediate events, Siofra Cleirigh Buttner (Colaiste Iosagain) won the Girl's 800m in 2.10.27, a championships best performance and she won the 1500m in 4.35.09. The inaugural Girl's Intermediate 1500m steeplechase was won by Jessica Coyne (Crescent CC Limerick) to set a championships best performance of 5.16.55.

Alice Akers (Scariff CC), who broke the Junior record last year, again set a new championship best with a threw of 48.22m in the Intermediate Girl's Hammer, breaking her sister, Rachel's record of 47.59m. Emma Kelso (Belfast Royal Academy) won the Inter Girl's Pole Vault in 2.91 to add one centimetre to the championship best.

In the Boy's Intermediate 100m Zak Irwin (Sligo Grammar) took the title in a personal best of 10.92 with Joseph Djewuni (Deansrath CC) second in 11.05. Irwin went onto to secure the sprint double winning the 200m in 22.31. Roisin Harrington (Villiers School Limerick) made a successful move up age categories from Junior to Intermediate, to win the 100m in 12.20 and 200m title in 25.01. The Intermediate Girls Cup went to Abbey Vocational School, Donegal and Boy's Cup went jointly to Brandon Grammar and Belvedere College.

There was a sprint double for Sean Lawlor (Kylemore College) who won the Junior Boy's 100m in 11.47 and set an impressive championships best performance in the 200m of 23.16, a record that has stood since 1976. In the Junior Girl's 75m Hurdles Mega Mars was just off the championships best by two hundredths of a second when winning in 11.43. The Junior Boy's Shield was won by Methodist and the Junior's Girl's Cup went to Ballyclove.