Who is your choice for Sports Star of the Year?

This years Westmeath Examiner Sports Stars takes place on Friday, March 28 in the four star Mullingar Park Hotel. The event will be hosted once again by Robbie Irwin. This year you can vote for who you think should win the Readers Choice Award for 2013. The twelve monthly award winners have now been revealed and profiled below.

Voting is via text message to the number 57199. Each of the monthly award winners are assigned a number from 1 to 13, coinciding with the month in which they were chosen for an award. Voters text EXAM followed by the nominee's number to 57199. For example, to vote for the January winner, readers will need to text EXAM 1 to 57199; for the February winner, text EXAM 2 to 57199; and so on. The Readers' Choice Award winner will be announced on Friday, March 28 at the awards ceremony in the Mullingar Park Hotel.

The lines are open – cast your votes by text for our Readers’ Choice Award

T&C's: Text line available in the Republic of Ireland only. 57199 messages cost €1. SMS entry requires one message to be delivered. Max 30 entries per mobile number per day. Standard network charges apply. Lines close at midday on Friday, March 28th 2014. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on Friday, March 28th 2014. You may receive promotional SMS in future. To opt out text STOP to 57272. Helpline BDC 0818286600.

 

January – Mullingar Athletic ladies (soccer)

2013 proved to be yet another successful year for women’s soccer in Mullingar, and in particular Mullingar Athletic, who defended their CCFL Senior Women’s Division crown in some style, coming away with the title in late January.

To vote for Mullingar Athletics Ladies text EXAM 1 to 57199.

 

February – Hughie Myers (boxing)

Hughie, a winner of one of our monthly awards last year, scoops the February award for his outstanding performance in the Elite National Boxing Championships, coming away with a gold medal, beating Antrim’s T J Waite in the light-flyweight final at Dublin’s National Stadium.

To vote for Hughie Myers text EXAM 2 to 57199.

 

March – Coláiste Mhuire, Mullingar (athletics)

March was a hugely successful month for schools athletics in Mullingar, with the senior boys of Coláiste Mhuire putting in some tremendous individual performances to win their first All-Ireland Schools Cross Country Championships team title in ten years, at the University of Ulster, Jordanstown.

To vote for Coláiste Mhuire text EXAM 3 to 57199.

 

April – Dot Love (horse racing)

A celebrated horse trainer attached to Charlestown Stud in Mullingar, Dot has just been nominated for a Horse Racing Ireland Special Achievement award, for training 50/1 outsider Liberty Counsel to an Irish Grand National win on April 1. It is for this tremendous achievement that she also wins a Westmeath Examiner Sports Award for April.

To vote for Dot Love text EXAM 4 to 57199.

 

May – Greg Crowley (Gaelic football)

A native of The Downs, Greg played a key role as a forward in London’s road to the Connacht senior football final. In May, he featured in the Exiles’ first provincial championship win in 36 years, when they defeated Sligo in Ruislip.

To vote for Greg Crowley text EXAM 5 to 57199.

 

June – John Joe Nevin (boxing)

Mullingar’s Olympic silver medallist – last year’s Sports Star of the Year – added to his already impressive collection by winning a gold medal at the European Amateur Championships in June. This ensured that John Joe ended his amateur career as World No. 1 at bantamweight level; subsequently, he announced his move to the pro game.

To vote for John Joe Nevin text EXAM 6 to 57199.

 

July – Westmeath Minor Footballers (Gaelic football)

Westmeath continue to make great strides at this level under the management of Tom Carr, and in July, led by captain Ryan Caffrey, they reached their first Leinster final since 2000 after beating Meath in a pulsating semi-final in Navan.

To vote for Westmeath Minor Footballers text EXAM 7 to 57199.

 

August – Kevan O’Rourke (soccer)

Kinnegad man Kevan was part of an Irish soccer outfit which made history in August, participating in the Paddy Power Cup – the first soccer tournament strictly for amputee footballers. Ireland reached the semis, and beat Germany in the playoff, with Kevan scoring two goals in a 3-1 win.

To vote for Kevan O’Rourke text EXAM 8 to 57199.

 

September – joint winners – Robbie McCarthy (handball)/John Heslin (Gaelic football)

Robbie McCarthy Jnr’s status as a household name in handball – both nationally and internationally – goes from strength to strength, and it was augmented further in September, when the Mullingar man won the M Donnelly GAA Handball All-Ireland 60x30 Senior Singles Championship for the third year in row, defeating Dublin’s Eoin Kennedy in a thrilling final in Galway.

To vote for Robbie McCarthy text EXAM 9 to 57199.

 

John Heslin, meanwhile, has had a remarkable year; he was a colossus at midfield for Westmeath during their tremendous run in Division 2 of the league, and for his club St Loman’s, he finished top scorer in the Westmeath senior football championship as the Blues clinched their first title in 50 years. He wins a joint September award for a particularly stunning performance in the championship semi-final against Garrycastle, scoring a phenomenal 2-16 in a single game.

To vote for John Heslin text EXAM 10 to 57199.

 

October – St Loman’s GAA (Gaelic football)

Our October award goes to St Loman’s GAA, who, as stated already, lifted the Paddy Flanagan Cup for the first time since 1963, defeating Tyrrellspass in the final in a memorable year for the club.

To vote for St Loman’s GAA text EXAM 11 to 57199.

 

November - Lucy McCartan (ladies football)

While Lucy's award is directly concerned with her receipt of the Leinster Ladies Football Young Player of the Year in November, it is also a hat-tip to her other achievements in 2013. Lucy was a colossus in Westmeath's Leinster and All-Ireland-winning U16 'C' side, shuttling between midfield and centre-forward with ease in a tremendous year for Tony Robinson's charges.

An equally gifted soccer player who plies her trade with Dublin side Peamount United, Lucy also competed for Ireland at U17 level, being a part of the squad which reached the UEFA Women's U17 Championships élite qualifiers in Romania.

To vote for Lucy McCartan text EXAM 12 to 57199.

 

December-Linda Conroy (athletics)

Linda – a past Westmeath Examiner Sports Award monthly winner – is a deserving December winner, finishing 2013 with another All-Ireland title.

The Kilbeggan starlet was part of a strong and very successful Mullingar Harriers contingent at the AAI Novice and Uneven Ages Cross Country finals in Waterford (December 15), and after taking an early lead in the U19 4,000m, she had enough in the tank to see off a late resurgence by the chasing pack.

To vote for Linda Conroy text EXAM 13 to 57199.

 

Congratulations to all those who have won a monthly award and best of luck in the Readers Choice Award.