Student athletes show their winning ways
Posted on: 05 April 2017
The huge strides being made in the development of sport in college was reflected in this year’s annual Trinity Sport Awards and Commons. Two new categories were added to this year’s event, which took place in the Dining Hall – Performance of the Year and Social Media Campaign of the Year.
In total, eight prizes were awarded by Head of Sport Michelle Tanner and RTE’s Evanne Ní Chuilinn, who compered the evening. The winners were:
- Club Administrator of the Year – Leon Breen (hurling)
- Club of the Year – Fencing
- Coach of the Year – Brian Scully (ladies hockey)
- Team of the Year – Ladies hockey 1st XI
- Social Media Campaign of the Year – Women’s rugby
- Performance of the Year – Sailing club
- Sports Person of the Year – Cian O’Sullivan (hurling)
- Special Contribution to College Sport – Cyril Smyth (Pavillion Chairman)
Over 250 people attended the event, including special guests from college such as Director of Student Services Alison Oldam, Chief Financial Officer Ian Mathews and Professor of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine Cathal Moran.
Other special guests included Heather McArdle and Brian Wickham from Bank of Ireland, international rugby player Rob Kearney, who was a guest of Bank of Ireland, and Trinity alum and international cricketer Ed Joyce.
In addition to the main awards, 18 university Pinks were handed out by DUCAC Chairman Donagh McDonagh. Recipients included: Prakash Vijayanath (badminton), Cian Flynn (rowing), Philip Cripwell and Lucy Johnson (fencing), Hannah McCarthy, Aoife Leahy (rowing), Anna May Whelan, Cliona McCullough (hockey), Niamh Byrne (rugby), Eoin McCullough (orienteering), Jack Burke, Pierce Dargan, Jack McDermott, Michael Courtney, Patrick Finlay (rugby), Scott Flanigan (sailing), Donna Rodgers-Lee (sub-aqua), Ian Meeke (trampoline).
Speaking at the event, Michelle Tanner commented: “We are half through the Strategy for Sport, ‘Raising our Game’, and I am delighted to say that through the continued support from students and the university we continue to invest in our facilities. As it says on one of the new Bank of Ireland displays in the Virtual Spin room in the sports centre, we should ‘only look back to see how far we’ve come’ this is what tonight is about.”
Michelle also said a few words about former DUCAC Chairman and current Chairman of the Pavilion, Cyril Smyth, who received the Special Contribution to College Sport Award: “Cyril has given more than anyone could ever expect to student sport here in Trinity but also in Ireland,” she added.
