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Athletics Ireland has named a 36-strong team for the upcoming SPAR European Cross Country Championships which take place in Antalya, Türkiye, on Sunday December 8^th.

The senior teams will be spearheaded by recent national senior cross country champions Keelan Kilrehill (Moy Valley AC) and Ann Marie McGlynn (Letterkenny AC) who both delivered gold-medal-winning performances over the 7,500m distance in Enniskillen back on November 17^th.

Kilrehill will be joined in the senior men’s team by Cormac Dalton (Mullingar Harriers), Efrem Gidey (Clonliffe Harriers), Sean Tobin (Clonmel AC), William Fitzgerald (Craughwell AC), and Pierre Murchan (Dublin City Harriers).

Kilrehill and Dalton both featured on the Irish senior men’s team that finished fourth at last year’s championships in Brussels, with Dalton finishing inside the top ten individually.

McGlynn, who most recently won a team bronze medal at these championships back in 2022 (Turin), will be joined on the senior women’s team by Niamh Allen (Leevale AC), Danielle Donegan (Tullamore Harriers), Fiona Everard (Bandon AC), Mary Mulhare (Portlaoise AC) and Cheryl Nolan (St Abban’s AC).

The women’s U23 team sees Emma McEvoy (Dundrum South Dublin AC) and Amy Greene (Finn Valley AC) earn selection on the back of their top two placings at nationals. They will also be joined Roise Roberts (Candour Track Club) who followed them home in Enniskillen along with Lucy Holmes (West Waterford AC).

Laura Mooney (Tullamore Harriers) who was 56th at the recent NCAA cross country in the USA, is joined by clubmate Ava O’Connor (Tullamore Harriers) who placed 19^th in the NCAA Division II cross country in completing the team.

Nick Griggs secured the U20 bronze medal at these championships twelve months ago. The Tyrone teenager will make the step up to the U23 ranks alongside a team consisting of the ever-impressive Niall Murphy (Ennis Track AC) who took the senior silver medal at nationals. They will join an experienced team which also includes Cathal O’Reilly (Kilkenny City Harriers), Matthew Lavery (North Belfast Harriers), Paul Hartnett (East Cork AC), and Callum Morgan (CNDR Track Club).

Griggs was part of the U20 team who claimed gold at these championships last year, and even with some of that team graduating to the U23 ranks, the U20 team once again looks to be one of Ireland’s best hopes of challenging for the leading team placings on Sunday week.

Out to try and defend the men’s U20 title will be national U20 champion Jonas Stafford (UCD AC), Frank McGrath (Lagan Valley AC), Sean Quinn (DSD AC), Noah Harris (Parnell AC), Lughaidh Mallon (UCD AC), and Cormac Dixon (Tallaght AC).

The U20 women’s team looks another talented group with Lucy Foster (Willowfield Harriers), Annabell Morrison (Enniskillen RC), Avril Millerick (Youghal AC), Eva Bartlett (Lagan Valley AC), and Caitlin Hughes (Swinford AC) selected, while Anna Gardiner (East Down AC) also returns having lead the Irish team home in Brussels last year.

Speaking at the announcement, Athletics Ireland National Endurance Co-Ordinator, Mark Kenneally said, “On the back of last year’s success in Brussels, I am delighted that we travel to Turkey with strong teams again. It is getting harder to make the Irish team for the European Cross Country Championships year on year, and great credit goes to all the athletes who have made this team. We now travel to Turkey in December with realistic medal ambitions and will look for strong performances from athletes across the board.”

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