Bree fete the best

Leading lights receive club awards

THE BREE AC AGM and presentation of club awards for 2023 took place in Bree Community Centre recently.

The Chairman, William Spratt-Murphy, welcomed all present and congratulated the athletes on some wonderful performances during the year.

2023 was a great year for club member Abbie Doyle who represented Bree AC and Ireland in triple jump in the SIAB Games in Scotland, and in the British AAA Games in Birmingham.

Both events were a great experience for Abbie and for her proud parents, Paul and Edel. Abbie also represented Bree AC and her school, Coláiste Bríde, in the Tailteann Games where she won the silver medal in triple jump.

A total of ten national individual medals were won by Bree AC athletes in 2023: Under-12 Eoghan Ennis (one), Under-13 Ava Wilson (three), Under-14 Sarah O’Brien (one), Under-15 Lea Bolger (one), Under-16 Kiera Wilson (one), Under-18 Abbie Doyle (one), and Under-14 Ruth Hassey (two).

Eleven Leinster individual track and field medals, as well as two Leinster individual cross-country medals, were won by Bree AC: Eoghan Ennis (one), Ava Wilson (five), Sarah O’Brien (two), Lea Bolger (two), Kiera Wilson (one), Patrick O’Leary (one), and Tom Dunne (one).

In addition, 59 county track and field individual medals and seven county relay medals, five county cross-country individual medals and five county cross-country relay and team medals were also won.

To end what was another great year for the club, Bree AC members received a Leinster All Star award and five county awards.

Ava Wilson was presented with a 2023 Leinster All Star award in Athlone IT on March 10.

Less than one week later, Ava received the Co. Wexford 2023 Juvenile female athlete award, the Mr Oil athlete of the month award for April 2023, as well as an achievement award for her national record of 156cm in Under-13 high jump.

Abbie Doyle also won an achievement award in recognition of her two international selections on Irish athletics teams. Finally, the Kehoe Foods award was presented to Bree AC coach and official, Jim Corcoran, for his services to athletics at club, county, Leinster and national Level.

The Chairman, William Spratt-Murphy, thanked everyone for their co-operation during the past year.

Club officers for 2024 are: President, Rev. Michael Byrne PP; Vice-Presidents, Dan Walsh and Pat O’Leary; Chairman, William Spratt-Murphy; Secretary, Roseanne Murphy; Treasurer, Tom Byrne; Assistant Treasurer, Clare Doyle; PROs, William Spratt-Murphy (Facebook) and Clare Doyle (notes, newsletters and website); Catríona Breen and Dolores Hassey (recorders). Delegates to county meetings are Pat O’Leary and Jim Corcoran, plus two parents/ officers on a rota basis.

Following the AGM, the annual presentation of awards took place, followed by light refreshments.

Bree AC’s athlete of the year is Lea Bolger (U15). Lea won silver in Leinster indoor 60m hurdles, gold in the Leinster track and field hammer, and bronze in the national track and field hammer.

In the Mr Oil county track and field championships, she won gold in the hurdles, long jump, shot and hammer, silver in the triple jump and bronze in the 100m and 200m.

She also won a national Junior schools silver medal in hammer. Her award was presented by club Chairman William Spratt-Murphy.

Sarah O’Brien (Under-14) received the Peter Byrne Memorial Award. In 2023, Sarah won Leinster gold in both indoor and track and field high jump. She went on to win the silver medal in the national indoors high jump and was injured for the national track and field.

At the Mr Oil county track and field she won gold in the high jump, silver in the 80m hurdles and shot, and bronze in the 100m.

She also won the bronze medal in the national Community Games high jump. Her award was presented by Peter Byrne’s daughter, Stella Crean.

The Pat O’Leary Distance Award was received by Patrick O’Leary (Under-10). This was Patrick’s first Bree AC award.

In 2023, Patrick was the Under-11 Mr Oil county cross-country champion. In the Leinster ‘B’ cross-country, he was the sixth individual athlete home out of a field of over 60 runners.

His award was presented by his grandad, Pat O’Leary, who, incidentally, was also a cross-country county champion in the early 1970s.

The Paul Kehoe Award was received by Ruth Hassey (Under-14). This was Ruth’s first Bree AC award.

In the national ‘B’ track and field championships, she won gold in the high jump and bronze in the long jump.

In the Mr Oil county championships, she won gold in the 80m hurdles and long jump, silver in the high jump, and bronze in the shot. Ruth was presented with her award by Clare Doyle, Assistant Secretary, on behalf of Paul Kehoe.

The Tony Greene Memorial Award was received by Kiera Wilson (Under-16). In 2023, she won the gold medal in the Leinster track and field high jump, and silver in the national track and field high jump.

In the Mr Oil county championships, Kiera won gold in the javelin and bronze in the 200m and shot. She also won the silver medal in the national Community Games in the high jump. Kiera’s mum, Brita, was presented with the award by Tony Greene’s daughter, Mary Stafford.

The John Godkin Under-13 Athlete Award was received by Ava Wilson. In 2023, Ava won gold in the high jump and long jump in both Leinster indoors and track and field, and silver in 60m hurdles in Leinster indoors.

She won the gold medal in the national indoors and again in the national track and field where she jumped a national record of 1.56m. In the national indoors she also won silver in the long jump.

In the Mr Oil county championships, Ava won gold in the 60m hurdles, 60m, 100m, long jump and javelin, and silver in the shot. Ava also won the silver medal in the national Community Games finals in long jump.

Recently, she was announced Athletics Wexford’s female Juvenile athlete of the year 2023, Mr Oil April 2023 Wexford athlete of the month, and received an Athletics Leinster All Star. (Ava was the winner of Bree AC’s athlete of the year in 2023).

The award was presented to Ava by Dolores Hassey, club coach, on behalf of John Godkin.

The Bree ICA Parish Award was received by Eoghan Ennis (Under-12). This was Eoghan’s first Bree AC award.

In his first year of Leinster athletics, he won gold in the track and field long Jump and bronze in the national track and field long jump.

In the Mr Oil county championships, Eoghan won gold in the 60m hurdles, 60m, high jump and long jump, and a bronze in the 100m and 600m. He was presented with his award by Carmel Mernagh, Vice-President of Bree ICA.

Abbie Doyle was the recipient of a special award to honour her two international performances in 2023, namely SIAB Games in Scotland and the AAA in Birmingham. Abbie was presented with her award by the club President, Fr. Michael Byrne PP.

A new award was introduced this year for the Under-9 to -11 athlete age group. It is called the Malachy Sheridan Memorial Award.

Malachy Sheridan is, to date, Bree AC’s only Olympic athlete. He represented Ireland in the two-man bobsleigh in the 1992 Winter Olympic Games in Albertville, France.

Bree AC is delighted to acknowledge Malachy’s achievements and would like to thank Malachy’s family, and especially his father Paddy Sheridan, for their kind permission to name this award in Malachy’s memory.

Malachy was Bree AC athlete of the year in 1980. The first recipient of the Malachy Sheridan Memorial Award is Finn McKiernan (Under-9).

In the Mr Oil county track and field championships, Finn won gold in the 100m and turbo javelin and silver in the 300m and long jump. Finn’s award was presented by the club Secretary, Roseanne Murphy.