Blues honour top student-athletes

Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Blues honour top student-athletes

World champion rowers and sailors, a New Zealand rugby player and a reigning Olympic champion are up for major awards at the Massey University Blues Awards celebrations to be held Auckland later this month.

The Blues Awards, presented in association with BNZ, are presented to students in recognition of their outstanding achievements in both sport and academic studies. Previous recipients include Hamish Bond, Lisa Carrington, Simon Child and Juliette Haigh.

Sports presenter Hamish McKay will be master of ceremonies at this year’s event, on October 17 at North Harbour Stadium in Albany, and Olympian and Massey student Sarah Cowley will be guest speaker.

Ms Cowley, a Bachelor of Communication student, represented New Zealand in the heptathlon at the London Olympics in 2012 and is now competing in the high jump, as she sets her sights on a gold medal at the next Commonwealth Games. She will share her experiences as a high-performance athlete juggling academic studies.

This year’s nominees for BNZ Albany Sportsman of the Year award include New Zealand men’s hockey player Hugo Inglis, pole vaulter Nicholas Southgate and triple jumper Phillip Wyatt. The nominees for Albany BNZ Sportswoman of the Year include footballer Erin Nayler, triathlete Sophie Corbidge and surf life-saver Laura Quilter.

Nineteen student athletes will be presented with Blues this year in sports ranging from archery and badminton to netball and Paralympic swimming. Awards will also be presented to recipients of Prime Minister’s Scholarships.

Many of those receiving Blues are members of the Massey Academy of Sport, which provides individually tailored athlete support, sport scholarships for academic fees, travel funds for assistance with international competitions, gym memberships and training gear, and practical seminars on the latest developments in the sporting world.

BNZ spokesperson Rob Campbell says the bank is excited to continue its involvement with the awards.

“At BNZ we recognise it is hugely important that we take every opportunity to celebrate excellence in sport and academia and we are very proud to partner again with our friends at Massey University."

Tickets for the event are available to members of the public from masseybluesawards.ac.nz

ENDS

2013 Blues recipients:

ARCHERY
Sean Walker

ATHLETICS
Richard Callister
Nicholas Southgate
Phillip Wyatt

BADMINTON
Anona Pak

FOOTBALL
Erin Nayler

HOCKEY
Hugo Inglis
Eryn Crombie

JUDO
Ryan Jeffery

KARATE
James Holder
Rebecca Watkin

RUGBY SEVENS
Brittany Coates

SURF LIFESAVING
Laura Quilter

SWIMMING
Hayley Palmer
Laura Quilter
Hayley Edmond

TOUCH
Brittany Coates

TRIATHLON
Sophie Corbidge

UNDERWATER HOCKEY
Courtney Coughlan

Albany campus sportsman of the year nominees:

ATHLETICS
Nicholas Southgate
- Current NZ Ranking of 1st in Polevault (Senior Men’s and U20 grades)
- Australian Open Track and Field Championships – 3rd Senior Men

Phillip Wyatt
- Current NZ Ranking of 1st in Triple Jump Open Men
- Australian Open Track and Field Championships – 3rd Open Men
- Selected NZ Team for 2013 Oceania Area Championships

HOCKEY
Hugo Inglis
- NZ Men’s Black Sticks Team (107 appearances)
Albany campus sportswoman of the year nominees.

TRIATHLON
Sophie Corbidge
- Current NZ Ranking of 1st for U23 Elite Sprint Distance Triathlon
- U23 Elite Oceania / National Sprint Championship – 1st
- Elite ITU Oceania Cup – 1st
- Elite Team ITU Oceania Cup – 2nd

FOOTBALL
Erin Nayler
- 2012 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup – starting goalkeeper
- 2013 NZ Football Ferns Team – 4 caps

BADMINTON
Anona Pak
- North Harbour Wisden Team & U23 Badminton Team
- NZ Badminton National Championship – 1st Open Women

SURF LIFESAVING
Laura Quilter
- 2012 World Rescue Championship
- World Champions
- 4 x 50m obstacle relay team – Gold Medal and World Record
- Individual 50m manikin carry – bronze

TOUCH AND RUGBY SEVENS
Brittany Coates
Rugby Sevens:
- 2013 NZ Sevens Nationals - Waikato Open Women's Sevens team placing 2nd
- Member 2013 Waikato Go for Gold Rugby Sevens Squad
- Hokkaido Barbarians Women’s Sevens Team – invitational player at Hokkaido Sevens Tournament
Touch:
- 2013 New Zealand Touch Nationals - Waikato Open Women’s Touch Team 1st
- Member of the 2013 New Zealand U21 Women's Touch team
- Invited to trial for the New Zealand Touch Blacks open mixed touch team

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