O'Sullivan Still in Quest of Mark English

Last year Marcus O'Sullivan made a personal visit to a Letterkenny AC (County Donegal) workout to romance the hottest junior prospect coming out of Ireland in several years: 800/1500 meter man Mark English. English enrolled instead at Dublin City University (see our previous post about Mark English HERE). The latter's DMR team contested the Millrose Games (along with Eamonn Coghlan's son John), but was beaten over the final 200 meters by the Villanova squad anchored by Sam McEntee. During that visit to the States, though, the Irish squad spent a few days at Villanova, met several members of the team, and left people wondering if O'Sullivan would be able to entice English to leave Ireland and run for Villanova. The answer is still to be determined, but (as the article below indicates), Marcus has not given up in his quest to recruit English to the Main Line.



English gets top marks from O’Sullivan
Sunday 1 April 2012
Donegal Democrat

One of Ireland’s most decorated ever athletes has give Mark English the seal of approval.

Marcus O’Sullivan won world indoor 1500m championships on three occasions between 1987 and 1993 as well as taking part in the Olympics in Los Angeles, Seoul, Barcelona and Atlanta.

The Cork native, who is now head coach to track and field athletes at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, gave the 19-year-old from Letterkenny Athletic Club, and indeed his coach Teresa McDaid, a glowing reference in an interview with The Sunday Times when he asked who he thought was the best up and coming athlete in Ireland.

“There’s enormous talent from a young lad called Mark English from Letterkenny coming through,” O’Sullivan said. “You’re going to see something from the kid. It may not be this year but it’s going to be very soon. Teresa McDaid, his coach, is doing tremendous work up there and it’s nice to see.

“In February, we had the DCU team over here with Eamonn’s son, John Coughlan, Joe Warne, Brian Gregan and Mark. The Milrose Games in New York was a hosting event for us and an excursion for them. It was great to have them over.”

English won the 1500m at the national indoor championships in 2011 ahead of Letterkenny clubmate Darren McBrearty and reached the final of the World Youth Olympics in Singapore two years ago. The DCU student will not be in London this summer but is hotly tipped to make an impact at the 2016 Games in Brazil.