February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Ireland’s Orla O’Mahoney was along for 24th place in 34:36.64. The Friars’ Roisin Quinn, a senior from Waterford, was 16th in the women’s 800 meters Olympic Development (OD) University/Open, with a 2:12.53 clocking. Nebraska’s Anne Shadle won the race in 2:07.82. Providence grad Marie Davenport, an Irish Olympian running for Reebok, won the women’s 5,000 meters Invitational in 15:38.64.
Two men’s 5,000-meter races were run. The OD University/Open, the more competitive of the two, attracted Butler’s Frazer twins, John and Thomas, who came in fifth and 13th, respectively. John Frazer was caught in 14:06.82, while Thomas finished in 14:12.81. The Frazers are seniors from Belfast. Texas Tech’s Kevin Chelimo was the winner in 13:54.90. The University/Open heat found Loyola’s Robert Wade checking in 31st with a 15:36.13 clocking. Wade is a junior from Portlaw, Co. Waterford. Stanford’s Donald Sage broke the tape in 14:26.54.
Providence’s Martin Fagan, a junior from Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, placed eighth in the men’s 10,000-meter Invitational with a time of 28:59.89, just ahead of Belfast’s Joe McAlister, an Iona grad, who was ninth in 29:00.42. Arizona’s Robert Cheseret wore the victor’s laurels after posting a winning 28:33.24.
Sean Conroy, a Loyola of Chicago senior from Cork, finished 10th in the Men’s 3,000 meter Steeplechase University/Open, with a 9:08.48 clocking. Virginia Intermont’s David Cheromei led the pack home in 8:47.12.
Providence’s Liam Reale, a senior from Hospital, Co. Limerick, took 16th place in the OD University/Open race, with a time of 3:46.16. Georgetown’s Chris Lukezic was the winner in 3:42.52. In the University/Open race, the De Paul duo of Gavin Kennedy and Richard Byrne finished eighth and 14th, respectively. Kennedy, a senior from Waterford, got home in 3:49.80, while Byrne, a sophomore from Dublin, checked in at 3:51.35. Providence’s Max Smith ran a winning 3:47.58.
Yale’s Tadhg O’Callaghan, a freshman from Cork, took fourth place in the men’s 800 meters at the Brown Invitational in Providence. He finished in 1:53.55 in a race won by Boston College’s Frank DiVittorio in 1:52.47.
GOLF
A final-round 84 blew any chance Northwestern Oklahoma State’s Peter McGibney had of capturing the NAIA Region 6 Championship at Quail Creek in Oklahoma City. The Dublin freshman was two strokes off the lead after the first two rounds, in which he shot 74 and 69. That latter score was low round for the day and one of only two to break par. At the final reckoning, McGibney stood tied for seventh place, 11 strokes behind Oklahoma City’s Brent Akins. Northwestern Oklahoma finished 11th in the 13-team field, which was led by Oklahoma City.
South Alabama’s Johnny Caldwell tied for sixth place in the Billy Hitchcock Intercollegiate at the Auburn University Club in Alabama. The freshman from Clandeboye, Co. Down, finished one stroke over par at 217 (69-73-75), which was six behind Memphis’ Ian Rochester, the medallist. Also on the course was Southeastern Louisiana’s Peter O?Keeffe, a Cork freshman, who shared 49th place at 235 (79-81-75). South Alabama shared sixth place, while Southeastern shared eighth. Auburn was the winning school.
St. Louis University’s Barry O’Neill, a junior from Waterford, tied for 48th place in the Billiken Invitational at Gateway National in Madison, Ill. O’Neill’s 223 (74-75-74) was 10 strokes over par and 16 behind the Austin Peay duo of Chris Barron and Yoshio Yamamoto, the co-winners. St. Louis finished third in the team standings, which was topped by Austin Peay.
Troy’s Shauna McVeigh shared eighth place in the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship at Victoria Hills Golf Club in Deland, Fla. The junior from Kilkeel, Co. Down, came in 18 strokes over par at 234 (78-75-81), which was 13 behind Georgia State’s Lisbeth Meincke, the champion. Troy placed fourth among the 11 teams, with Georgia State ruling the roost.
High Point’s Jenna Kinnear got a piece of 10th place in the Big South Conference Championship at Greenwood Country Club in Greenwood, S.C. The Belfast sophomore carded a 19-over-par 235 (78-78-79) to finish 19 strokes behind Coastal Carolina’s Lena Cordes, the medallist. Coastal won the team trophy, with High Point third.
The Kent State duo of Tara and Karen Delaney finished 15th and 53rd, respectively, in the Lady Boilermaker at Purdue’s Kampen course in West Lafayette, Ind. Tara, a freshman, finished 12 strokes over par at 228 (75-77-76), while Karen, a sophomore, carded 240, with three rounds of 80. The Delaneys hail from Co. Carlow. Kansas’ Amanda Costner led the field at 217. Texas Christian won the team trophy, with Kent taking fifth place.
TENNIS
After beginning the week with a loss, William & Mary’s Colin O’Brien came back to take two singles matches. The Dublin sophomore came out on the wrong side of a 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 verdict to Virginia Commonwealth’s Marton Ott at second singles, with VCU edging the Tribe, 4-3. O’Brien then downed South Florida’s Federico Barton, 6-4, 6-1, to help W&M to a 5-2 victory. He closed out the week by stepping up to the first position against American’s Juan Jaysingh and posting a 6-1, 7-6 (5) triumph, as the Tribe prevailed, 6-1.
Memphis’ Mark Finnegan enjoyed a victory at fifth singles over Arkansas-Little Rock’s Tim Walter, 6-4, 7-5. Finnegan, a senior from Kill, Co. Kildare, and Alex Jago also handled Walter and Rain Roiges at third doubles, 8-3. Memphis swept UALR, 7-0.
New Mexico’s Derek Boland offset one loss with two wins last week. The senior from Dublin was pushed to the limit at sixth singles by Air Force’s Robby Alexander, but left the court a winner, 7-5, 6-7 (9), 10-8. Boland and Eric Conklin also contributed to the Lobos’ 5-2 win with a victory at third doubles, 9-7, over Alexander and Tyler McClung. Boland then fell to San Diego State’s Daniel Jung, 7-6, 6-3, in the sixth slot as the Aztecs knocked off the Lobos, 5-2. Boland and Conklin also failed at third doubles, 8-6, against Markus Dickhardt and Eugenio Romero. New Mexico bounced back to defeat UNLV, 5-2, with Boland beating Martin Redelinghuys, 6-2, 6-2, in the sixth slot.
San Francisco’s Andrew Hogan, a sophomore from Dublin, came through at fifth singles for the Dons, defeating UCal-Davis’ Casey McMakin, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. San Francisco won the match, 4-3.
Harvar’s Elsa O’Riain contributed to a pair of doubles victories last week. The Dublin sophomore teamed with Courtney Bergman to defeat Penn’s Michele Mitchell and Raluca Ciochina, 8-1, in the second position. O’Riain and Bergman then moved up to the first slot against Princeton’s Jessica Seibel and Ivana King, who they defeated, 8-6. Harvard won both matches by scores of 7-0.
Georgia Southern’s Ciara Finucane went 1-2 last week. The Dublin sophomore, who plays second singles, began with a victory over Western Carolina’s Katherine Ptak, 6-3, 6-1. Finucane and Szilvia Zsakay also defeated Ptak and Tricia Hanson at first doubles, 8-2. GSU swept the match, 7-0. The College of Charleston turned the tables with a 6-1 win over GSU, as Finucane lost to Gabriela Moreira, 6-0, 6-0. Finucane and Zsakay contributed to GSU’s 4-3 triumph over Wofford with a win at first doubles over Ellen Rogers and Sarah Shelley, 8-5. Finucane lost her singles tilt to Shelley, 6-4, 6-2.