Sydney University will provide 20 athletes for the Australian team contesting the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, with the announcement today of Ed Jenkins and Greg Jeloudev in the Sevens rugby squad.
Jenkins, a former SUSF sports scholarship holder on the Elite Athlete Program (EAP) was named captain of the 12-man Sevens squad, who will be aiming to go one better than the 2010 team that won silver at the Delhi Commonwealth Games.
Jeloudev is a current EAP member and both are members of Sydney University Football Club, who progressed through the Colts program.
Sydney University Athletics Club (SUAC) will provide 12 of the 20 athletes from Sydney University who will be competing at the Glasgow Games from July 23 to August 3.
SUAC members include Josh Ralph, Anneliese Rubie, Jarrod Geddes, Ella Nelson, Ian Dewhurst, Angela Ballard, Jin Su Jung, James Nipperess, Emily Brichacek, Nick Hough and Michelle Jenneke. Lara Tamsett was pre-selected but is injured.
They will be joined on the Australian team by Matt Abood (swimming), Matthew Mitcham (diving), Kane Townsend (table tennis), Emily Esposito (pistol, Jaelle Cohen (rhythmic gymnastics), Jayden Lawrence (wrestling) and Jenkins and Jeloudev.
Jenkins is one of the most experienced campaigners in the men’s Sevens squad, which features nine Commonwealth Games debutants.
Head coach of the team, Geraint John, said the squad had been training well and he was confident they could deliver a strong result in Glasgow.
“This is an excellent opportunity to build on a fantastic end of season performance in London, where Australia finished runners-up at the final tournament of the 2013-14 Sevens World Series,” he said.
“In this Commonwealth Games squad, I think we have an extremely talented group of players with the right mix of experience and youth. I’m looking forward to seeing what the team can produce in Glasgow.”
Sixteen countries will compete Glasgow Games Sevens: Australia, Canada, Cook Islands, England, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Scotland, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda and Wales.
Australia has been drawn in Pool D alongside England, Sri Lanka and Uganda. If Australia qualifies from the pool rounds, the quarter-finals, semi-finals and the gold and bronze medal matches will be played on Sunday 27 July.
