Wallace Athletics Success and Overview 2024–25

The 2024–25 Schools’ Athletics Season proved to be a very successful year, highlighted by some record-breaking performances on the track and a large contingent of students representing the school in All-Ireland competitions.

Ulster Schools’ Multi-Events

The Athletics season began on Thursday 12th September, when the Mary Peters Track played host to the Ulster Schools’ Multi-Events. Competing across five events — short-distance hurdles, long jump, shot putt, 200m, and 800m — athletes accumulate points based on their performance in each discipline.

Wallace athletes performed incredibly well in a very competitive field, with results as follows:

Minor Girls

• Liv Douglas – 14th
• Anna Kelly – 16th

Junior Girls

• Ella Thorn – 8th

Minor Boys

• Jacob Dumigan – 1st 🥇
• Zach Gordon – 7th

Junior Boys

• Jonathan Martin – 2nd 🥈

Inter Boys

• Jacob Wilson – 8th
• Calvin McCullough – 9th

All-Ireland Schools’ Multi-Events

The All-Ireland Schools’ Multi-Events took place at the Sport Ireland Campus, National Indoor Arena, on Saturday 26th October. Unfortunately, Jonathan Martin suffered an injury and was unable to compete. However, Jacob Dumigan and Zach Gordon both qualified and represented the school superbly.

Minor Boys

• Jacob Dumigan – 3rd Place 🥉
• Zach Gordon – 11th

Cross Country

District Cross Country

The Cross Country season began on Tuesday 28th January, when Ormeau Park Playing Fields hosted the District B Cross Country Championships. Wallace entered several teams and individual athletes, achieving excellent results:

Minor Girls

• 3rd Place Team 🥉
• Anna Kelly – 1st Place 🥇
• Jess Kennedy – 9th
• Lily Donaldson – 10th
• Katie-Rose Baxter – 13th
• Emilia Baird – 15th

Junior Girls

• Liv Douglas – 7th (Qualified)
• Sarah Shepard – 13th (Qualified)
• Ellie Magowan – 15th (Qualified)

Inter Girls

• Lauren McIntyre – 12th (Qualified)

Senior Girls

• Lily Rimmer – 3rd Place 🥉
• Grace Bennett – 5th (Qualified)

Mini Boys

• Robbie Sterritt – 11th (Qualified)

Minor Boys

• 3rd Place Team 🥉
• Oliver May-McCombe – 2nd 🥈
• Finlay Kane – 7th
• Rory Jackson – 21st
• Callum Donald – 23rd

Junior Boys

• 3rd Place Team 🥉
• Conall Kelly – 2nd 🥈
• Lewis Johnston – 15th
• Damien Sitnicki – 16th
• Will Rodgers – 17th

Ulster Schools’ Cross Country

The Ulster Schools’ Championships took place on Wednesday 19th February at the City of Belfast Playing Fields, Mallusk. Wallace had three teams qualify, alongside several individuals. The athletes performed well in challenging, muddy conditions:

Minor Girls

• Anna Kelly – 5th (Qualified for Irish Schools)
• Team – 5th Overall

Senior Girls

• Lily Rimmer – 9th (Qualified for Irish Schools)

Mini Boys

• Robbie Sterritt – 18th

Minor Boys

• Team – 9th Overall

Junior Boys

• Conall Kelly – 6th (Qualified for Irish Schools)
• Team – 4th Overall

All-Ireland Schools’ Cross Country

Galway Racecourse hosted the All-Ireland Cross Country Championships on Saturday 8th March. Wallace was proudly represented by siblings Anna and Conall Kelly, and Lily Rimmer.

Minor Girls

• Anna Kelly – 15th in Ireland

Junior Boys

• Conall Kelly – 23rd in Ireland

Senior Girls

• Lily Rimmer – 48th in Ireland

Track and Field

District Track and Field

The Track and Field season began on Thursday 1st May, with Mary Peters Track once again hosting District B schools. In a very competitive district, Wallace students delivered outstanding performances. Overall, the team won:

• 14 Gold, 14 Silver, and 17 Bronze individual medals
• 2 Gold, 1 Silver, and 2 Bronze relay medals

Notable Achievements

• Jacob Dumigan set a new District Record in the Long Jump: 5.74m
• Junior Boys’ Relay Team (Zach Gordon, Jacob Dumigan, Damien Sitnicki, Max Wilinski) set a new 4x100m record: 48.18 seconds

Ulster Schools’ Track and Field

Held over two days at Mary Peters Track (Wednesday 14th and Saturday 17th May), the Ulster Schools’ Championships showcased yet more success for Wallace athletes.

Summary:

• 2 Gold, 8 Silver, 2 Bronze individual medals
• 2 Bronze relay medals
• Junior Boys crowned Challenge Cup Winners (top team overall)

All-Ireland Schools’ Track and Field

The All-Ireland Championships took place in Tullamore, Co. Offaly, on Friday 30th and Saturday 31st May. Seven Wallace athletes competed in nine events. Personal bests were achieved by Jacob Dumigan, Ben Gilmore, and Sam Grossmith. The Junior Boys team finished 2nd in Ireland, narrowly missing out to Blackrock College by just three points.

Year 8 Mini Tournament

The final competition of the year took place on Thursday 5th June at Antrim Forum. Our Year 8 students performed superbly, finishing 1st overall with 24 points — a testament to their development throughout the year.

Tailteann Games Selection

To conclude a fantastic Athletics season, we were delighted to learn that Jonathan Martin (100m Hurdles) and Sam Grossmith (Javelin) were selected to represent Ulster Schools in the Tailteann Games, held in Carlow on Saturday 21st June.

Reflecting on a very busy year for Wallace athletics, Mr McIlmurray commented:

“This has been a truly outstanding year for athletics at Wallace. Our students have shown determination, resilience and excellence across all competitions. From district to national level, their commitment and achievements have been remarkable. I am incredibly proud of each athlete who represented our school with distinction.”

You can keep up to date with Wallace sports via http://www.instagram.com/wallacesport

You can also read more about sports at Wallace via this link: https://www.wallacehigh.org/news/category/sport/