STONY BROOK, N.Y. – Picture this: An Irish family of 10, all runners, competing on a reality television show to find Ireland's most fit family. Seems like a scenario straight out of a work of fiction but nonetheless was real life for senior Clodagh O'Reilly (Cavan, Ireland) and her family back in 2013.
 
The O'Reillys graced the television screen as part of a program called "Ireland's Fittest Family," a show that pits families against each other in fitness competitions to decide who is Ireland's most athletic family. The O'Reilly family was featured on the show's very first season and as fate would have it, they won the whole thing.
 
"There were 12 families on the show so each week they would knock a family out," O'Reilly said. "It was interesting because there were families from every sports background: Gaelic football, MMA fighters, runners, people who were into gymnastics and we won the whole show. It was back in 2013 and it's still going, so that's one of my claims to fame."
 
Clodagh and her siblings' running DNA can be traced back to her parents who both ran in college back home in Ireland and met at a track meet. The rest is history as each of the O'Reilly children took up the sport growing up. As the sixth child out of eight siblings, O'Reilly differed from the rest of her family as she was the sole one to take the leap of faith and come to the United States to run collegiately. Thus, bringing her to Long Island.


 
"I had no idea about the level of sport here and the level of collegiate athletics because we don't have it at home in Ireland," O'Reilly mentioned. "I was just completely overwhelmed by the high standard and the support they get at an institution like this. There's nothing like this at home, so once I saw this I said 'I have to have it.' It would have been silly to give up an opportunity as amazing as this. I'm very glad I'm here, I'm glad I chose Stony Brook."
 
With her family's support behind her, O'Reilly landed in New York in 2016 for her freshman season and much like any new kid on campus, she experienced some bumps in the road as she was acclimating to her new surroundings while balancing the demands of being a student-athlete.
 
"Definitely the transition of high school to college and add on top of that athletics and moving to a new country was a lot," O'Reilly stated. "So getting used to the time management of all of it and trying to balance everything definitely was like a juggling act. Then, I was injured my freshman year during second semester so I was out for all of outdoor track."
 
Despite the rollercoaster of a rookie season, O'Reilly has no regrets and credits the second family she found within her team with shaping her to the person she is today.
 
"The people in my locker room, the people in the boys' locker room and everyone who's part of our team is the reason I'm happy here," O'Reilly exclaimed. "They are my second family."


 
This Saturday, O'Reilly and her family are set to delve back into competitive action, however it won't be with her hereditary family back home in Ireland on a reality television show. This time it'll be with her Seawolves family at the America East Championship.
 
Looking back at the squad's body of work this year, the expectations for this championship weekend have drastically shifted from where they were originally during the preseason.
 
"When I thought about conference back in the preseason in August, I thought we only had an outside shot of a conference title this year," O'Reilly said. "But this week looking into conference, I think we have a legitimate chance. I've been so impressed by the performance of our entire team this semester, I feel like everyone's worked very hard and everyone's really stepped up. Everyone in the locker room has worked so hard all summer long, putting their summer training in, running all their miles, and it's really shown this season because we've been racing exceptionally well in comparison to other years."
 
"The goal and the focus is definitely on our team and race-wise I want to make sure that Holly (Manning) and Tara (Hauff), who I've been training with all season, are right there with me. We're going to work as a team and individually I'm going to do whatever I can to put us in the best position we can be in."

Coach Ronan on the championship weekend:
"Our women's team, led by Clodagh O Reilly, Holly Manning and Tara Hauff, has gradually worked their way into the conversation for the conference title that we compete for on Saturday. Now they understand that the team has to produce the best run of the season so far to contend with New Hampshire and Vermont to achieve the win. But there is a competitive spirit running through this group that I feel will make the other teams have to be at their best to hold them off in the later stages of the race."