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Ulster Rugby have signed Aaron Sexton - Ireland's fastest teenager

Aaron Sexton with his gold medal after winning the Senior Boys 100m event during the Irish Life Health All-Ireland Schools Track and Field Championships in Tullamore, Co Offaly earlier this month. Photo: Sportsfile Expand

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Aaron Sexton with his gold medal after winning the Senior Boys 100m event during the Irish Life Health All-Ireland Schools Track and Field Championships in Tullamore, Co Offaly earlier this month. Photo: Sportsfile

Aaron Sexton with his gold medal after winning the Senior Boys 100m event during the Irish Life Health All-Ireland Schools Track and Field Championships in Tullamore, Co Offaly earlier this month. Photo: Sportsfile

Aaron Sexton with his gold medal after winning the Senior Boys 100m event during the Irish Life Health All-Ireland Schools Track and Field Championships in Tullamore, Co Offaly earlier this month. Photo: Sportsfile

Ulster Rugby have announced the signing of Ireland's fastest teenager Aaron Sexton to their academy squad for the coming season.

Sexton will make the full-time switch from athletics to the province's academy having recently broken the Irish Schools records for both the 100 and 200 metres.

He is also a familiar name in rugby circles as he was Ulster A's top try scorer in last year's Celtic Cup, touching down seven times in six games.

The Bangor Grammar School pupil also featured in Ulster's pre-season friendly versus Gloucester and was the 2017 Danske Bank Ulster Schools' Player of the Year.

Conor Rankin will also join Ulster's academy from Campbell College where he was a pivotal figure in the side that won the 2018 Danske Bank Ulster Schools' Cup.

Recently awarded Danske Bank Ulster Schools' Player of the Year Tom Stewart is another player joining the academy following a stellar schools career where the Belfast Royal Academy hooker captained Ulster at U18 level.

Highly-rated Irish qualified centre Hayden Hyde will make the move from English Premiership side Harlequins to Ulster, following in the footsteps of Kieran Treadwell and Sam Arnold. Hyde has already represented Ireland at U18 and U19 level.

Following a year in the sub-Academy and a season's experience in the All Ireland League with Banbridge RFC, prop Callum Reid has been awarded a full time place in the Academy.

Reid represented Ulster A in the Celtic Cup last year and was part of the Ireland U20 Six Nations Grand Slam winning team.

After an outstanding season last year which saw Ulster Academy players contribute no less than 111 appearances across the Guinness PRO14 and Heineken Champions Cup, nine players who started the year in the Academy have gone on to earn upgraded contracts; Robert Baloucoune, Angus Curtis, James Hume, Angus Kernohan, Michael Lowry, Zack McCall, Eric O’Sullivan, Tom O’Toole and Marcus Rea.

"Last year was a really successful season in terms of the contribution Academy players made at senior level, which is ultimately what we are here to do – develop players of the requisite quality to represent Ulster and Ireland," said Ulster Rugby Academy manager, Kieran Campbell said.

"We still believe there is significant opportunity to grow again this year and we are excited about the new batch of players joining our programme.

"Each year we are driving increased standards so I congratulate those who have been awarded a place in the Academy and look forward to seeing how they develop into the future."

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