A strong UCD contingent will attend The Irish Open at the National Rowing Centre this weekend, the first trial of the season.
UCD Ad Astra student Paul O’Donovan and Sanita Puspure (Old Collegians Boat Club) are among the headline names competing, coming into the trial on the back of their Olympic exploits in Rio and, in Paul’s case, a World Championship winning performance in Rotterdam. They will compete in the Mens and Womens Senior 1x on Saturday before doubling up on Sunday, Paul with his brother Gary and Sanita with Emily Hegarty of Skibbereen.
Also at Senior level, UCD’s Eoghan O’Connor will pair up with David Neale (OC) on Saturday before making up a collectors item UCD/DUBC composite Senior 4- on Sunday. David will swap from sweep on Saturday to sculling on Sunday for another UCD/DUBC composite, this time in a Senior 2x with Turlough Hughes who graduated from UCD this year and is now attending Trinity.
At U23 level Ad Astra student David O’Malley and Shane Mulvaney, 4th place finishers in the LM2- at the 2016 U23 World Championships, will compete in the U23 2-. They are joined in this event by another UCD combination, Ross Thompson and Eoin Gleeson, with the pairs combining on Sunday to race an U23 4-, although the Grand League format of the competition means they will face off against the UCD/DUBC Senior 4-.
Meanwhile UCD U23 scullers Andrew Goff, of the Ad Astra Academy, and Shane O’Connell will race the U23 1x on Saturday before joining up for the U23 2x on Sunday.
The Ladies Boat Club are represented by Eimear Lambe and Aileen Crowley in the Senior 2- and Jane Coleman in the U23 1x.
