On Sunday 23 September, 520 students and 10 accompanying Sydney Uni Sport & Fitness staff will depart for the Gold Coast on a mission to retain the Australian University Games title.
With the 2014 monumental win in Sydney still fresh in the minds, this year’s strong contingent is ready to do battle with students nationwide.
The group is eager to start competition in what is one of the greatest sporting weeks of the year. Sydney Uni are sending 42 teams competing in 29 sports including: AFL, Athletics, Badminton, Baseball, Basketball, Beach Volleyball, T20 Cricket, Cycling, Fencing, Futsal, Golf, Handball, Hockey, Judo, Kendo, Netball, Rugby 7’s, Sailing, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Squash, Taekwondo, Table Tennis, Tennis, Touch, Ultimate Frisbee, Volleyball and Water Polo.
Last year Sydney Uni won a record 18 pennants to finish 1st overall. Sydney Uni is hoping to repeat last year’s performance and believe they are capable of this with the solid team being sent.
As is becoming a “norm,” the athletics team looks extremely strong with the likes of Jin Su Jung, Josh Ralph, Jenny Blundell, Michelle Jenneke, Alix Kennedy, Anneliese Rubie and Georgia Wassall being members of this year’s squad.
This year’s men’s basketball team is looking to steal the limelight that the women’s team has had for the past few years. Team Manager, Josh Russell has claimed this is the best AUG team that the men have had and are going for gold.
The baseball team, cycling women, hockey women, soccer women, judo women, kendo men, swimming men, table tennis women, tennis men, water polo men and fencing men are hoping to retain their titles from last year and are fielding very strong teams.
The men’s soccer team have put in two very tough year’s in Division 2 and after Div 2 victory last year, they have moved to Div 1 for this year’s contest. Coach, John Curran is extremely happy with both his men and women’s teams and believes that USYD have the chance to clean sweep the soccer competition.
The USYD handball club has had an astonishing year, breaking records in the Australian handball world. Last year’s AUG winning team is back and ready to retain their title with the Fogerty brothers leading the way.
The Ultimate Frisbee team will be split into a mens and womens team for the very first time. Coach, Brett Latham is extremely excited with the new format and believes that both of the teams have massive medal chances.
Sydney Uni swept the 2014 rugby 7’s competition with both men and women’s teams managing convincing wins. This year, the women’s competition will again be a mixed university competition which means it is not a pennant sport. The men’s competition is a pennant sport and Coach Dave Haigh aims to win two in a row under his leadership.
There is massive incentive to win the competition for the T20 cricket team, as the winner of AUG’s will bag themselves a spot in the 2016 Red Bull Campus Cricket World Final in Sri Lanka next October. Coach, Gary Whitaker is desperate for his team to win this competition and believes that this year he has the team to do it.
Rowing men and women head off to Adelaide on Sunday for their Australian University Championships. Both men and women are defending their titles and are sending great teams to Adelaide. The coaches, Debbie, Esther, Mark and Tom are eager to see what this year’s crop of rowers can produce.
All Sydney Uni teams are looking exceptional and the focus is to win and bring back the trophy.
We wish all athletes good luck while they play with great sportsmanship and courage.
GO USYD! #usydgameface
