March 2008 Olympians among NUI Galway Sports Awards Winners

NUI Galway has announced the recipients of the 2008 Sports Awards. The awards will be presented by Guest of Honour Professor Jim Browne, newly appointed President of the University. The award ceremony will take place tomorrow, Thursday, 6 March in the Ardilaun House Hotel, Galway at 8pm.

Among the award winners announced are Irish rowing heavyweight fours crew members Alan Martin (Salthill), Cormac Folan (Barna) and James Wall (Limerick), who will receive the Special Achievement Award 2008. The crew will represent Ireland in the Olympic Games in Beijing later this year.

This year's Sports Awards recipients are:

• Archery: Niamh Breathnach, Corr na Mona, Co. Galway
• Athletics: Kevin Duggan, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath
• Boxing: Deirdre Flynn, Millstreet, Co. Cork
• Camogie: Laura Linnane, Shannon, Co. Clare
• Cricket: Abhi Shekdixit, India
• Hurling: Darragh Egan, Kildangan, Co. Tipperary.
• Ladies Gaelic Football: Anna Conlon, Dromahair, Co. Leitrim
• Ladies Soccer: Niamh Fahey, Killanin, Co. Galway
• Ladies Rugby: Anne O'Callaghan, Annascaul, Co. Kerry
• Men's Gaelic Football: Gareth Bradshaw, Moycullen, Co. Galway
• Men's Rugby: Gary Collins, Renmore, Galway
• Men's Soccer: Seamus Conneely, Cashla, Co. Galway
• Team Award: Rowing Club – Ruadhán Cooke, John Forde, Evin Donnelly, Paul Giblin, Jason Wall, Breffny Morgan, Mathew Carroll, Martin Wallace, Dave Mannion and Paul Murray. The team were Winners of Men's Senior Coxed Fours and Men's Senior Coxless Pairs at the Irish National Rowing Championships 2007, also winners of Senior Eights at Rowing Intervarsities.
• Team Award: Handball Club – Shane Hayes, Kevin Cradock, Ciaran Burke, Ricky O'Gara, Caitríona Casey, John Kennedy and Marianne Rushe. The club are Intervarsity 40 x 20 team champions. Marianne Rushe and Caitríona Casey were winners of the Women's Open Doubles at the World Handball Collegiates in Missouri 2007.
• Team Award: Surfing Club – Stephen Kilfeather, Eoin McCarthy Deering, Hugh Galloway, Andrew Kilfeather, Aidan Kelly, Claire Concannon, Elisha Hickey, Brian O Donnacha, Brendan O'Toole, Ricky Whelan. The team are three in a row Intervarsity Champions.
• Special Achievement Award 2008: Alan Martin, Cormac Folan and James Wall, Rowing.

Announcing the awardees, Tony Regan, Sports and Recreation Officer, NUI Galway said: "This year's winners have outstanding talent and are the next generation of Irish Sporting Stars. These outstanding athletes are wonderful role models and are an inspiration to us all and we are proud and honoured to have them as current students at NUI Galway. In conjunction with our Sport Scholarship Scheme, these Sports Awards have helped to identify the talents of these young people and we wish them well in their future endeavours".

The NUI Galway Sports Awards are given out each year in recognition of the NUI Galway students who excelled in the world of sport during the year and are supported by Bank of Ireland University Branch.

ENDS