Black Sticks and children’s rights advocate among Uni Blues

Black Sticks and children’s rights advocate among University Blues

Some of the world’s top athletes were among the winners of the University of Auckland Blues Awards for 2018.
A University Blue is the highest accolade to be earned at a Tertiary level for excellence in a sporting code, arts and culture, or service and leadership.

Black Stick Stacey Michelson, who studies commerce and law, was among those recognised at a gala event last week alongside her teammates Madison Doar who studies engineering and Sam Harrison, from the Faculty of Education and Social Work.

They were joined in the major sporting categories by powerlifter and science student Alisa Samountry, and Taekwon-do champion Riley Phillips-Harris who studies arts and law.

The key recipient in the Service and Leadership category was 2018 Young New Zealander of the Year semi-finalist Alexander Kuch who works to re-connect people with their birth families, while Arts and Culture was headed by pianist Siyu Sun.

University of Auckland Chancellor Scott St John congratulated all award winners for their achievements at both national and international level.

“While success is very much down to the individual’s commitment, hard work and dedication, many staff have also gone above and beyond to ensure students are given the opportunity to combine academic achievements with pursuit of success in their chosen endeavour,” he said.

The seven major award winners were:

Māori Sportsperson of the Year Award
Sam Harrison (Faculty of Education and Social Work) and Madison Doar (Faculty of Engineering)
Sam and Madison both represented New Zealand as members of the triumphant Black Sticks Women’s hockey team who took gold at 2018 Commonwealth Games. The Black Sticks created history by securing an impressive 4-1 defeat of Australia in the Gold Coast Games’ final to return home as champions. This is the first hockey gold medal New Zealand have won at the Commonwealth Games since the sport was introduced to the programme in 1998.

Sportsman of the Year Award
Riley Phillips-Harris (Faculty of Law/ Faculty of Arts)
Riley put in an outstanding performance to take home a silver medal at the 2017 International Taekwon-do World Championships. Competing in the -78kg division, Riley fought off tough competition from the world’s best to secure second place. The biennial event is recognised as the premier event on the ITF calendar, attracting 84 teams from 49 countries.

Sportswoman of the Year Award
Alisa Samountry (Faculty of Science)
Alisa set a New Zealand and Oceania record at the 2018 World Classic Powerlifting Championship with an impressive lift of 190kg. Competing in the 72kg division junior class, Alisa fought off tough competition from the world’s best powerlifters to finish second in the deadlift discipline and sixth overall. The championships is one of the biggest in the International Powerlifting Federation competitions, drawing a field of 750 lifters from 51 nations.

Most Meritorious Performance (Sport)
Stacey Michelsen (Faculty of Law/ Business School)
Named as Captain of the Black Sticks Women’s hockey team for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Stacey led her team to a historic gold at the Gold Coast competition. Shortlisted for International Hockey Federation’s Women’s Player of the Year 2017 and with an impressive 250 caps to her name, Stacey was further honoured when she was chosen as New Zealand’s flag bearer at the closing ceremony.

While a Blues Award has traditionally been a sporting accolade, the University of Auckland also recognises Arts and Culture, and Service and Leadership.

Most Outstanding Contribution in Service & Leadership
Alexander Kuch (Faculty of Arts)
A passionate advocate for children’s rights and international adoptions, Alexander was named a Young New Zealander of the Year semi-finalist in 2018, received the Young Romanian of the Year award 2017/18, and was a Rotary Peace Fellowship finalist in 2017. As an ambassador and board director for ‘I’m Adopted’, Alex plays a key role in the not-for-profit organisation (name?), which aims to re-connect people with their birth families and provide resources to help make the adoption process a positive experience.

Most Meritorious Performance in Arts and Culture
Siyu Sun (Faculty of Creative Arts and Industries)
Siyu is a highly gifted pianist and has been recognised at a number of national and international competitions. Outstanding performances saw Siyu secure notable placings at a range of high-profile competitions including first prize at the 2017 New Zealand National Concerto Competition, second prize at the 2017 Wallace National Piano Competition, and fourth prize at the Australian 2017 Lev Vlassenko Piano Competition.

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