Loreto College delight at Sports Awards success

Loreto College has a strong tradition in a range of team and individual sports, scoring successes and winning titles in local and national arenas.

In 2012-2013, Loreto’s Gaelic Games teams held three separate Ulster Colleges titles: the Casement Shield for Senior Hurling, the Father Davies Cup for Senior Camogie and the Nagle Cup for Year 11 Gaelic Football. Loreto has a strong tradition in all three gaelic games, with many students taking their game further to local clubs, or representing their county. Numerous students have won Ulster Colleges All Star awards over many years: most recently, Megan Kerr won an All Star award for Camogie in 2012-13.

Loreto also makes headlines in local Netball and Soccer fixtures. In 2012-13, the College’s Senior Netball team moved up to the premier division, winning the North Eastern Education and Library Board Senior Championship as well as the Coleraine and District League, and progressed to the Northern Ireland final: a superb achievement for a team new to top flight competition. The Junior and Minor Netball Teams were Runners-Up in their respective Coleraine and District Leagues whilst there was also tremendous success when Loreto hosted, and won, the annual NEBSSA Year 8 Netball Tournament. As a result of these successes, several pupils are now members of the Regional Development Squads. Not to be outdone, Loreto’s soccer players had a tremendous year. The Year 10 Team won the Coleraine and District League whilst the Year 8, Year 11 and Year 14 teams all reached their finals. Oran Barton, currently a Year 12 student was selected for the Northern Ireland Football squad which contested the U16 Victory Shield.

Basketball and Trampolining are increasingly popular at Loreto. The Year 8 Basketball team won the NEBBSA Basketball Tournament and were runners up at Northern Ireland level, while Loreto teams have featured strongly at local and national level Trampolining competitions in recent years.

With Cross-country witnessing a resurgence amongst the College’s junior athletes, 2012-13 became Loreto’s most successful in recent history. At the annual NEBSSA Cross Country races, Loreto won two team and two individual titles, with Abigail McBroom and Aoife Carr winning their individual races. Having taken first place in the District event, the Minor Girls went on to second place in Ulster and a magnificent third place in the All-Ireland event.

Loreto has a strong tradition of supporting and encouraging students who wish to pursue occasionally unusual individual sports to the highest level: among its students are award-winning competitors in Kick-Boxing, Judo, Mounted Games and Karate, as well as Swimming and Athletics. In recent years Loreto students developed an interest in Cheerleading and Dance, taking NEELB titles in something which was a completely new departure for the College.

Mrs Maureen McCullough, Head of PE at Loreto College, was delighted at this accolade for Loreto’s curricular and extra-curricular sport, and paid tribute to all members of the College’s PE Department and the many members of staff who voluntarily coach teams.

Mr Michael James, Principal of Loreto College, paid tribute to the endless enthusiasm and energy supplied by the PE teachers and team coaches, and by the students who in turn contribute so much to the success of sport at Loreto College.