Cross-country success for Academy

CONGRATULATIONS to Rebekah Nixon, Patrick McNiff, Ellie Purdy and Ben McConnell, all of whom qualified for the Ulster Championships in the recent Co. Down District Cross Country Championships at Dellamont Country Park.
By The Newsroom
Published 8th Feb 2013, 23:09 BST

Twenty-five Academy runners travelled to Dellamont on a freezing winter’s day at the end of January to compete in the District Championships along with over 1000 other athletes from the Co. Down area.

Each race had between 100 and 150 runners so the competition was stiff but that didn’t stop our athletes being hugely successful.

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Top performances of the day were from Rebekah Nixon and Patrick McNiff who both won the gold medal in their races, the Junior Girls and the Minor Boys respectively.

Rebekah dominated her race from the start and blew away all opposition while Patrick waited patiently on the shoulder of his race leader and then overtook in the final 200m to win comfortably.

Ellie Purdy also ran well in the Mini Girls’ race and finished a very creditable ninth place to secure her spot in the Ulster Championships. Ben McConnell rounded the day off with an excellent run, in horrendous underfoot conditions, to finish eighth in the Junior Boys’ race and also qualify for the Ulster’s.

All four athletes will now compete against the cream of Ulster Cross Country, running at the Mullusk Playing Fields on Wednesday February 13.