The UCDAC mens team that travelled to Nenagh to compete in the Intervarsity Track & field Championships finished second after a dogged attempt by the 14 team members to keep up with University of Ulster who came out on top at the end finishing 8 points ahead. Ulster host the outdoor championships this year and obviously intend to achieve a home win.

It must be said that UCD were horrendously understrength with only one athlete with a Road Relays medal from November togging out in the National Indoor Arena. UCD also lost out in the jumps events with sholarship athlete Stephen Darcy being out injured. Many others were absent due to exams and commitment to other competitions (Mick Clohissey earning an international selection for the World Junior XC).

Final year Undergrad Tommy Lyons won his first Intervarsity medal in the 60m just beating newcomer Cian Aherne into 4th place. Both could do well outdoors if their seasons keep going the way they have been. In the 200m both Patrick Phelan and Simon Gaynor got out of their heats and Gaynor eventually reaching the final. Both should expect more success outdoors. In the 400m Michael Kennedy lost out to Hugo Leeney in qualification for the final. Leeney went to take a silver medal. Barry McCarron took silver in a great 800m race with Karl Fahy from Trinity. Ronan Daly donned the UCD vest for the first time in the 1500m. He missed out narrowly on a points score finishing in 7th. In the 200m walk Feargal Tansey was hopeful of claiming a title but had to settle for a bronze medal, 2 places ahead of Michael Muldoon. Vice Captain Philip Conway seemed dissapointed with his 2nd Indoor Intervarsity bronze medal in the 3000m. Considering his time last year was over 25 seconds faster he can be excused.

In a rough 200m relay in which there was plenty of jostling, UL crossed the line first but were later disqualified and UCD were promoted to first place for which they earned 10 points. Some might consider UU lucky that they were not also disqualified. Had they been, they would have lost 8 points and the final team result might well have been different. In the long jump Simon Gaynor won a surprise bronze with his final jump (which he almost didn't take). He leaped 6m32. Hugo Leeney scored a further 2 points in the Pole Vault with a personal best of 3m.

Kevin Burke, the hero of last years Indoor victory, could not participate in any of the track or jumping events due to injury. However, he could throw and he finished 2nd in the Shot (only 9cm behind Jeremy Haarper from UU) and 6th in the 56lb weight for distance. Scholarship athlete Padraig White was far away from his familiar hammer circle but managed 5th in the shot and 3rd in the weight in which only 15cm seperated the top 3. In the combined events Leeney returned for a second time to the winners podium after he clawed his way into the top 3 by running 2:40 in the 1000m (the final event in the pentathlon).

The final result left UCD 8 points behin UU and 13 points behind TCD. UL surprisingly finished back in 4th.

Full results here.