MTU Athletics club on a huge high after another great year on the track

Giving the calibre of athletes now attending Munster Technology University, choosing the top male and female of the year was no easy task.

However, at a recent ceremony at the college track these prestigious awards were presented to two worthy recipients in Max O’Reilly and Gabriella Bowen.

As an indicator of that array of talent, sprinter O’Reilly had just returned from London where he had completed in front of 60,000 spectators as part of the Irish 4 x 100m relay team at the Diamond League.

That followed a personal best for the 100 metres of 10.37 at Stratford the week before, a performance which placed him fifth on the Irish rankings for the year. 

This was a significant improvement of his previous mark of 10.50 achieved in 2025.

“I suppose I put that improvement down to consistency in training,” explained the Carrigaline man. 

“The warm weather this year has also been a huge benefit. And the facilities here are a massive help.” 

 The 20-year is studying architectural technology in MTU where he has just finished his second year. 

He does his club running with Riverstick-Kinsale AC, a club he has remained loyal to since his juvenile days.

Last April, for the first time since 2017, the Irish Universities Championships took place in Cork, MTU being the venue. 

One of the highlights of the weekend for the hosts was the long jump victory by Gabriella Bowen.

In front of the main stand, Gabriella produced a lifetime best of 5.80m to snatch a dramatic victory in the last round of the competition.

Sitting in fourth place going into her sixth and final jump, this performance secured maximum points for MTU who finished fourth in the overall female team standings - a best ever for the university.

“The home crowd were definitely a great boost,” said the Kinsale native, who credits her mother, Samantha, with starting her off in athletics. 

“She did it as a kid and at around 10 years I finally listened to her and I’m still going, 11 years on.” 

Now a member of the Leevale club where she also does the sprints, Gabriella is also delighted with the facilities now available at MTU. 

“I’m training here on this track three times a week and I’m in the gym probably another three times and Craig [Harrington] is always a great help as well.” 

For the past three years, the MTU athletics club has been sponsored by H2 Complianc, a consulting firm that provides tailored solutions for chemical and environmental compliance. 

H2 Compliance is part of the Landbell Group and is located at the Rubicon Centre at MTU.

Kevin Hoban, director of the company, explained their involvement.

“We have a strong athletics pedigree in our company and in our parent company so we are delighted to see the athletes here doing tremendously well. 

"I enjoy the connection and on a personal level it’s really enjoyable to be associated with such great talent.” 

For Craig Harrington, Athletics Development Officer at MTU, it has been a busy and fruitful year. 

“We’re delighted with the success here. It seems to be growing every year, both in terms of participation numbers and at elite level.

“We hosted the inter-varsities back in April with close to 1,000 students from across the country competing and I think we put on a good show for everyone.

“These awards started three years ago when we got our sponsor and Kevin has been of immense support. 

"The awards e a great way to recognise the achievement of the students as they pass through, as four years can pass by quickly enough.”