Once again the time is here to recap on a magnificent night that is the UNSW Blues awards!

A night where sport is celebrated at UNSW could be described similar to that of the Oscars or the Brownlow saw sports people of UNSW praised for their achievements both on and off the field.

With a fantastic performance of the national anthem in the traditional language by a representative of Matraville high the night was underway.

Matt De Groot led the way with a sensational and humorous performance as the MC, who throughout the night made an effort to mingle with the different clubs and was able to incorporate what was said into his performance on the night (Most notably the discovery of the Underwater Rugby Club).

2017 proved to be an absolute stellar year in sport for UNSW especially from a Uni Games point of view. Acknowledgement was made to the UNSW team for placing 5th in the overall competition (the best result achieved by UNSW) with 3 gold, 5 silver and 4 bronze medals as well as a total of 37 green and gold winners across all sports. By the end of the event with a montage video showcasing the talent that student athletes offered to team UNSW.

This was followed by the acknowledgment of the Ben Lexcen Scholars with 12 new representatives being recognised in 2018. The Ben Lexcen Scholarships support students for their outstanding sporting ability as well as their all-round qualities in leadership, community and academia. We are grateful to the donors, many of whom are here tonight, who have supported the Ben Lexcen Scholarships over the years.

New Ben Lexcen Scholarships:

• Aaron Young – Water Polo 
• Amy Ridge – Water Polo 
• Andrew Kellaway (Hon) – Rugby Union 
• Angus Lambie – Water Polo 
• Bryce Collins – Athletics 
• Callum Watson – XC Ski 
• Carly Leeson – Cricket 
• Hannah Jones – Athletics 
• Jack Adams – Skiing 
• John Gikas – Athletics 
• Kate Wilson – Swimming 
• Tim Brand – Hockey  

Up next was a celebration of the Doug Crawford Sport Recognition Award recipients. These men and women were recognised for their continuous outstanding contributions to sport at UNSW who were then represented by Bayu Sadew giving a thorough speech thanking the UNSW sport Community

Doug Crawford Sport Recognition Award recipients:

• AFL – Greg Goodieson
• Badminton – Carolyn Toh
• Karate – Genevieve Wang
• Rowing – Bill Moyes
• Rowing – Christopher Malouf
• Rugby Union – John Morrison
• Swimming – Karen Swinburn
• Taekwondo – Christopher Ingrati
• Windsurfing, Surfing and Sailing – Bayu Sadewo  

The UNSW Sports awards were swamped with nominations across a wide range of sports with awards being presented to nominees showing exceptional and outstanding dedication and commitment to their sport, both in an on field performance as well as a behind the scenes dedication to the sports community and growth.

UNSW Sports Awards:

• Academic of the year – Georgia Redmayne (Cricket)
• Administrator of the year – Erin Prince (Athletics)
• Coach of the year – Phill Brown (Rowing)
• Team of the year – UNSW Wests Water Polo
• Student Female Athlete of the year – Georgia Redmayne (Cricket)
• Student Male Athlete of the year – Callum Watson (XC Skiing)
• Club of the year – UNSW Rowing Club

Dinner was then served with the RoundHouse putting on an exceptional feed (as always) with guests cleaning their plates to the very last scrap of food showing a testament to the quality.

Guests were treated to having 3 special alumni guests in 2018 winter Olympians Rohan Chapman-Davies, Callum Watson and Hayden Smith up on stage to have a live interview with MC Matt De Groot. The boys shared their experiences on competing in the Olympic games and how their time at UNSW helped them to develop into the athletes they are to achieve success.

Now at the climax of the night, it was time to present this year’s Blues Awards. These awards embody the spirit of achievement, commitment and excellence in their chosen athletic pursuit. They represent key sporting values within their university community by demonstrating teamwork and selflessness in all facets of their life.

Speeches were made about each athlete by their peers which gave further merit to the recipient’s character and the respect that had been earned by their respective sporting communities thus truly embodying the values that the Blues awards represent.

UNSW Awards A Blue To: 

• Audrey Kyriacou – Athletics (Long Jump)
• Katrina Hunt – Athletics (100m Hurdles)
• Rachel Hardy – Athletics (Heptathlon)
• Rebecca Beeson – AFL
• Claudia Lam – Badminton
• Nathan Sutton – Basketball
• Matthew Treloar – Swimming
• Prue Watt – Swimming

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