Star studded line-up for 25th Blues Sports Awards

Monday October 12, 2015
Star studded line-up for 25th Blues Sports Awards

Some of the biggest names in sport will receive 2015 Massey University Blues Sports Awards this week – but who will be named Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year?

The awards, now in their 25th year, are the highest sporting accolade given in the New Zealand tertiary system, and part of a tradition dating back to 1922.

2015 Blues recipients from the Albany campus include Tall Black Mika Vukona, Black Stick Gemma Flynn, paralympian alpine skier Corey Peters and yachting gold medalist Jo Aleh.

Gemma Flynn and Jo Aleh are also nominees for the Massey University Distance Student Sportswoman of the Year, along with:

Abby Young – Football
Zoe McBride – Rowing
Mary Fisher – Swimming
Molly Meech – Yachting

Massey University Distance Student Sportsman of the Year nominees:

Corey Peters – Alpine Ski Racing
Mika Vukona – Basketball
Matthew Cameron – BMX
George Worker – Cricket
Alistair Bond – Rowing
James Hunter – Rowing

These awards are for students studying via distance learning. They highlight Massey University’s longstanding reputation for providing the highest level of flexibility, tailored to the life of the high-performing athlete. As a result of this dedication, Massey was the first in New Zealand to be named an athlete-friendly university by High Performance Sport New Zealand.

BNZ Bank has been a principal sponsor of the Blues since 1995. The BNZ Trophy is presented to the top performing Sportsman and Sportswoman from each of Massey’s three campuses in Auckland, Manawatu and Wellington.

BNZ Massey University Albany Campus Sportsman of the Year nominees:

Nicholas Southgate – Athletics
Phillip Wyatt – Athletics
Robert Capizzi – Hockey
Sanjay Lala – Hockey
Mick Lammers – Hockey

BNZ Massey University Albany Campus Sportswoman of the Year nominees:

Cheree Kinnear – Archery
Samantha Charlton – Hockey
Brittany Coates – Rugby and Rugby Sevens

Event details:
6.30pm – 10.30pm
Thursday October 15
QBE Stadium, Albany, Auckland
Guest speaker: Cam Calkoen, Inspirational para-athlete - http://www.camcalkoen.com/
Host: 3News Sports Presenter Hamish McKay

The event for students from the Wellington and Manawatu campuses will be held in Palmerston North on Tuesday the 13th of October.

Notes for editors:
Massey University’s earliest recipient of a New Zealand Blues Award was Mac Cooper in 1934 for rugby. Previous winners include Lisa Carrington and Hamish Bond.

At last year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, 70 of the 238-strong New Zealand team were either current or past Massey students.

This year, Massey University will award 122 Blues Awards to 118 student-athletes for outstanding sports performance.

158 Prime Minister’s Athlete Scholarships were awarded to Massey University athletes in 2014, from a total of 342, making Massey the largest education provider for elite athletes.

© Scoop Media