ATU SPORT

Emma Doherty: Ireland’s Rising Star

Emma Doherty has firmly cemented her place as one of Ireland’s top emerging football talents over the past year. A key player for Sligo Rovers Women’s National League team, the striker finished her first league campaign at this level with a tally of eleven goals. This earned Emma a nomination for the Women's National League Young Player of the Year award - one of only three players nominated in Ireland. The Donegal native was also named on the SSE Airtricity WNL Team of the Year.

LGFA HEC League vs St. Marys Belfast in November. Then went on to win the Lynch Cup in the LGFA HEC Championship in Connacht GAA Centre, beating DCU in the semi-final and UCC in a thrilling final. Manager Barney

A Night of Celebration

In March, ATU Galway held their Sports Ball & Awards recognising individual and team performances following a successful year. The ATU Sport Galway jersey was worn for the first time by sporting individuals and teams.

Students, staff and coaches were joined by Head of the Galway-Mayo College, Dr Michael Hannon, alongside Irish International Women’s Rugby Star, Sene Naoupu. ATU Galway reached finals in Men’s Soccer, Camogie, Intermediate Football, Rugby, Olympic Weightlifting and Camogie with successes in Boxing, Judo and Hurling. ATU Galway recorded 2391 students engaged in sports and physical activity on their campuses. Spirit of Ireland Executive Travel generously sponsored the awards.

Curran couldn’t believe the result as he sunk to his knees at the end of the game! Also, important members of the squad were the backroom team; Nadine Friel (past student) Tori O’Connor (present student) and Sylvester Maguire

(former Donegal Player) who all provided unwavering support throughout the season. Barney remarked, "Everything I asked was never a problem and the team were all a complete pleasure to work with, they really are a great team."

2023 has already proven to be a successful year for Lauren Cadden. The ATU Sligo student finished second in the 200m final at the National Senior Indoor Championships. The Sligo athlete also ran a new personal best time of 23.97 as she secured the silver medal. Lauren followed up this success by winning gold at the Connacht Athletics Indoor Championships in both the 200m and 400m, running a new personal best in the 400m final.

The BSc (Hons) in Health Science and Physical Activity student is no stranger to success. She has represented Ireland across various age categories and distances over the years. She has also previously broken Phil Healy’s 200m Irish Juvenile record. We are excited to see what the second half of 2023 holds for this very talented athlete.

Ignacio Folgueiras and Andrew McGeever named NBCC College All-Stars

A day of glory for ATU Donegal’s Men's Soccer team

Boxing Champion and Applied Social Care Student Bethany Doocey - Rising Star

Irish boxer and first-year Applied Social Care student in ATU Mayo, Bethany Doocey has been selected for the Irish team to compete at the Felix Stamm International Boxing Tournament in Poland later this month.

Bethany has been climbing up the ranks of world boxing over the past few years and now brings her expertise to college boxing, linking the college club with her local club and coaching others. Next year’s Paris Olympics may come a little too soon for Bethany, who is 19 years old, but it is realistic for the next Olympic cycle.

The student also successfully defended her National Senior Elite title also won the senior title at the IATBA Intervarsity's, which earned her an invite to a weekend training camp with world champion Sunniva Hofstad in Norway.

On her return from Norway Bethany then trained with the Irish Elite team at Sport Ireland HQ Abbotstown for two weeks.

She is a great Ambassador for ATU Mayo and everyone associated with Castlebar Boxing Club are extremely proud of her and wish her every success in her upcoming tournaments and for the exciting career ahead of her.

Ignacio, originally from Malaga, Spain, is studying a Certificate in Access for Higher Education at ATU Donegal. He plays as a power forward and is an allround supremely skilled player with the ability to score from any part of the court. Ignacio is the leading scorer and rebounder on both the ATU Donegal Men’s Basketball and Northwest Basketball National League sides. Ignacio is a recipient of an International Basketball scholarship and was also named an All-Star player. Andrew is a current PhD student at ATU Donegal and a talented basketball player. He is a valued player of the ATU Donegal Men’s Basketball team and was recently named an All-Star in the final of the Intervarsity Men’s “A” Competition. Andrew also plays Super League Basketball with EJ’s Sligo All Stars and is a recipient of an ATU Donegal Level 1 Full-Time Sports Scholarship.

GAA Awards for Quartet

The 19-year-old has also added to her Republic of Ireland caps and goals. Having represented her country at various underage levels, Emma had the honour of captaining the Women’s Under-19s in their UEFA European Qualifiers versus Germany, Norway and Croatia in April of this year.

Emma is currently studying a BSc (Hons) in Health Science and Physical Activity at ATU

Sligo and is a recipient of a Sligo Rovers Sports Scholarship. These scholarships, which are offered as part of the ATU and Sligo Rovers partnership, enable female players to compete at the highest level whilst achieving their academic goals.

Big Wins at InterVarsity

ATU Galway gave a strong performance at the InterVarsity competitions in Cork and Dublin this year. Athletes competed in Olympic weightlifting, Judo and boxing were some of the sports and more. There were firsts for ATU Galway in weightlifting. Mary Wittmer earned a silver medal in the Women's Under 81kg category, while Michelle Dalton took bronze in the Women's Under 81kg category. Pierce Dalton came 6th in the Men’s Under 96kg category.

Competing across nine categories in Judo ATU Galway’s Max Croke, Leah Deegan and Sam Olaoye, won 2 Silver medals and 3 Bronze medals. 9 boxers competed earning big results. The ATU Galway representatives brought back 3 National Titles, Aaliyah Butler Senior Women’s 54KG, Joshua Monahan Senior Novice 86KG, and Erin Corrigan Female Intermediate 75KG.

Lucy Wallace: Athlete by Nature, Nurse by Choice

Lucy Wallace, a passionate nursing student, has seamlessly combined her love for Gaelic Football with her pursuit of a nursing career, reaching impressive heights in both domains. During her Nursing Studies course at Mayo College of further Education in 2021, Lucy was invited to join the ATU Mayo

Ladies Gaelic Football team.

Her exceptional skills proved pivotal in leading the team to their most successful year, clinching both the League and Championship titles.

Lucy's outstanding performance with the college team caught the attention of the Mayo Senior management team, particularly Danielle Caldwell, a Mayo player and All-Star serving as the team's physiotherapist. Recognising Lucy's immense potential, Caldwell advocated for her inclusion in the County senior panel. Throughout the season, Lucy transitioned from a squad player to making her Senior championship debut, featuring in crucial matches, including the All-Ireland Semi-final at Croke Park. While excelling in Gaelic Football, Lucy's unwavering commitment to her nursing career remains steadfast. She secured a spot in the General Nursing program at ATU Mayo in 2022, where her sporting achievements were duly recognised with a Sports Scholarship award. Lucy's ability to excel in both her academic and athletic pursuits serves as a testament to her remarkable success and resilience.