By Robert Morrison
Sydney Uni is proving is sporting prowess as teams in AFL, baseball, rugby league, rugby union, and soccer finish up in the finals of their respective winter competitions.
The impact of Sydney Uni’s talent is not only being felt on fields at home but also fields pools and lakes abroad – with seven students from the Sydney University Ultimate Frisbee Club selected for Australian teams, Matt Jaukovic braking his own Commonwealth record in the 50 metre butterfly at the Telstra Australian Short Course Championships, and Sydney University Rowers being heavily represented at the World Championships in Poznan, Poland.
Sydney University Australian National Football Club had an outstanding season with three of its five teams reaching the finals. The inaugural U18 Challenge Cup Colts team finished a clear first, scoring 2181 points throughout the season – nearly twice as many as any other team.
Baseball has just finished up there season with both the First and Third Grade sides bowing out in the final series. While no Sydney Uni baseball team made the grand final this year, the teams are still looking forward to tearing up the Gold Coast when they travel to Uni Games, where they will be looking to repeat their 2006 gold medal glory.
Both First and Second division in the Rugby League competition have made the finals, with First division securing Minor Premier honors. To have both teams in the finals series is a tribute to the hard work the whole club has been putting in this season.
Rugby has just secured the Shute Shield Club Championship for an astonishing sixth season in a row, as well as an unprecedented fifth consecutive Colts Club Championship. With two rounds to go minor-premiership honors are looming for Sydney Uni’s First XV, as well as for Second Grade, and two other Colts teams. Sydney University Football Club has again shown they are undoubtedly the strongest club in NSW rugby.
This season soccer has pushed both the First Grade and 20s sides into the finals of the NSW Super-League competition. The 20s run was unfortunately cut short by a penalty shoot-out loss to Central Coast Lightning. However, First Grade are charging through the final series, defeating St. George 1-0 in their first semi, and are now moving onto Hadjuk Stadium for the next round, where they will meet Spirit FC this Saturday night.
Economics/Law student Matt Jaukovic recently broke his own Commonwealth record in the 50 meter butterfly at the Telstra Australian Short Course Championships, crashing into the wall in 22.28 to take 0.12 off the old record, and miss the World Record by a mere tenth of a second. A feat made all the more impressive considering just six weeks prior he was in quarantine in a Serbian hospital suffering from suffering from pneumonia and Swine Flu.
The Sydney Uni Flames are currently in their off-season but that doesn’t mean they haven’t been working extremely hard, securing big name signings such as Olympic dual-silver medalist Suzy Batkovic-Brown. Batkovic will join Ellie Malou, Deanne Butler and Opal Deanna Smith, who are new comers to the club, as well as Mikaela Dombkins and Opal Natalie Porter, who are returning to the club. The Flames season is set to come alight with a very impressive roster.
Although not yet over, the winter season has already been a resounding success for Sydney University. With more teams still moving towards the finals in other sports such as Hockey, Netball and Tennis, even more accolades will be coming the Students way.
It is a season that Sydney University Sport as a whole should be very proud of; a season that has once again proven Sydney University is not only home to some of the best sporting clubs in Australia, but in the world.
