Oxford University Sports Ball 2023

Oxford University Sports Ball took place on Wednesday, 7th June at Oxford Town Hall where 160 students, sports staff, sponsors and friends from the Oxford sporting community came together to celebrate an incredible year of sport at Oxford.

There were eleven awards up for grabs and with over 150 nominations sent in, every award was extremely competitive and the winners and all those shortlisted should be incredibly proud. The winners and shortlists for each award are detailed below:

Kitlocker Club of the Year

- Rifle, Athletics, Archery, Ice Hockey

Expansion has been the focus for Rifle this year as they saw 125 new members join in Michaelmas Term which is a new club record (up from 68 the previous year). The club engaged with ThisGirlCan to increase the proportion of women within the club and invested in equipment for those of a smaller build to further the accessibility of the sport for female members and next year's incoming committee will have an equal number of men and women for the first time in club history.

In competition, the club saw gold as the women's team took victory in the Smallbore Varsity for the first time since 2016 for only the 8th win in the 32 year history of the event. The club earned 1st and 2nd place in Oxfordshire division 4 pairs and had several members represent the county across the season with one mmeber also being selected for the U25 England Target Rifle Team.

Walters and Co Sportsperson of the Year

- Jake Watson (Athletics / Brasenose), Fred Newbold (Hockey), Izzy Marshall (Tennis), Lucy Buchanan (Gymnastics & Trampolining), Maranga Mokaya (Athletics), Max Topp-Mugglestone (Canoe & Kayak)

Since last season's win in BUCS, the 2020 Fresher of the Year, Jake Watson has been plagued with frustrating patellar tendinopathy which has limited his ability to put himself under the stress of vaulting. His attitude and commitment has been exemplar and he worked to once again take Gold at the BUCS Athletics Indoor Championships with a season's best of 5.03m and followed this up with an impressive silver at the BUCS Outdoor Championships. At this year's Athletics Varsity Match, Jake won gold in not only the pole vault but in 100m and 200m races as well.

Blues Team of the Year

- Handball Men's Blues, Fencing Women's Blues, Rugby Union Women's Blues

Once again, Handball are the BUCS National Champions with 6 wins and a goal difference of +39. This a record-extending 8th British University Championship for the team. They were also undefeated England Handball South West Regional Championships with an incredible +146 goal difference. If that wasn't enough, the team took the largest ever goal difference for a Handball Varsity match, beating Cambridge 44-23.

Team of the Year

- Ice Hockey Vikings, Fencing Women's Blues, Dinghy Red

For the first time in living memory, the Ice Hockey Vikings swept all three possible titles available. They were undefeated in the BUIHA Division 1 South (non-checking) league, outscoring their opponents 87 goals to 7, did not concede a single goal to win the Division 1 (non-checking) National Ice Hockey Championship and for the first time since 2014, came out on top in the Varsity match.

Sporting Moment of the Year

- Hillary Scanlon's (St Anne's) Game-Winning Penalty Shot for Ice Hockey Varsity Blues, Athletics, Contemporary Dance, Gymnastics, Rugby Union, Touch Rugby

Picture the scene, Women's Ice Hockey Varsity, 0-0 after 60 minutes of regulation time. 5 minutes of overtime and no goals land. So, the shootout commences. Both the goalies are playing like brick walls, and no-one can seem to score. Then up steps Hillary Scanlon, a blind ice hockey player, to take the next shot. She'd had an incredible game but is used to playing with a blind puck (one that makes a lot of noise to identify where it is), and the shootout is done with a regular puck. A hush draws over the crowd as she skates up from the halfway line before swiping the puck into the back of the net. The entire team cleared the bench to celebrate with her but the game had not yet finished. Goaltender Holly Bihun then saved the final shot from Cambridge, finalizing the Oxford victory for the first time in at least 5 years.

Most Outstanding Contribution to Sport

- Callum Henfrey (Archery / Lincoln)

Callum's tenure at the Archery club spans an impressive nine years and over this time he has run practically every facet of the club. He has been Club President four times, Club Secretary three times, Men's Captain six times and Equipment Officer once. He implemented a strong competitive ethos in the club to push them to consistent Varsity wins, regional titles and BUCS medals. He is an advocate for the modernisation of student archery and worked with Cambridge to improve the gender parity within the Archery Varsity Match.

Contribution to Sport Awards

- Alex Carmichael (Ice Hockey / Pembroke) for his contribution to the logistical and marketable status of the Ice Hockey club. 

- Lizzie Jones (Korfball / Trinity) for her contribution, dedication and commitment to the Korfball club and developing a positive club culture. 

- Holly Hayward (Netball & Basketball / Magdalen) for her contribution to both the Netball and Basketball club communities over four years and her expansive work as Netball Club president. 

- Sophie Lawrence (Swimming / Lady Margaret Hall) for her long-standing contribution to the Swimming club and commitment to growing social and para swimming at Oxford. 

- Zaman Keinath-Esmail (Rugby Union / Corpus Christi), who despite being unable to play this season after the RFU banned trans women from competing, showed outstanding commitment and support to the Women’s Rugby Blues to ensure their success. 

- Thomas Renshaw (Cross Country & Athletics / St Hugh's) for his contribution to the Cross Country club, Athletics Club, Blues Committee and the wider sporting community. 

Diversity & Inclusion Award

- Ari Warrington (Fencing / Somerville), Rifle Club, Swimming Club, Zubaida Mukhtar (Canoe & Kayak)

Ari is the first openly trans Fencing blues team captain to receive a half blue for his role on the team. He has been a role model for other trans members of the club, as well as showing the club to be a safe space for trans athletes. For the 2023 varsity fencing match, Ari sought guidance on trans participation to ensure that a trans fencer could compete for Cambridge's women's team when she had otherwise been prevented from competing during the year. He has also encouraged those who coach in the club to reconsider the language used around chest protectors (previously described as 'for women') to reflect the diversity of those who may wish to wear this item of protective kit.

Fresher of the Year

- Michael Allison (Athletics / St Anne's), Alex Wilkinson (Rugby Union), Martha Carus Bird (Fencing)

Michael has had a record-breaking year in and out of Oxford. Ranked 2nd in the UK for Javelin, he picked up a BUCS silver medal and was a World U20 finalist this year. Michael took Athletics' Varsity events by storm, winning his events in Freshers Varsity as well as the main event. And if that wasn't enough, Michael recently hit a new PB and OUAC and Achilles Club all time record in Javelin with a throw of 72.34m.

Teammate of the Year

- Lizzie Jones (Korfball / Trinity), Linn Rustad (Touch Rugby), Manon Chataignier (Ski & Snowboard)

Lizzie has been the ultimate teammate for Korfball since she joined. On top of playing the most number of games in the league this season (27!), she regularly gives up her time to coach for the club, striving to make the sessions as inclusive as possible, implementing mixed teams match play, and actively listening to feedback from club members and incorporating this into sessions. She offers constructive feedback during training and matches which has been crucial to the team bonding, developing and improving over these past two years. She helps to deal with welfare issues with a calm, friendly and supportive attitude and is always a person you can rely on to be a listening ear.

Coach of the Year

- Zichen Liu (Swimming), Ian Hiscock (American Football), Matt Seddon (Athletics, Cross Country, Triathlon)

Zichen Liu has coached the Blues squad for 6 years and they have not lost a varsity during this period. This season, his team finished in 3rd at the national A-final of the British University Swimming League and won the regional conference. His talent in coaching a diverse range of strokes and distances is demonstrated by the three club records broken this year and only matched by his commitment to the club, supporting all to achieve their full potential and personal goals. He is understanding that the swimmers have dual commitments to their degrees and their sport, so adapts training to get the most out of every single session.

Student Coach of the Year

- Miles Soloman (Judo / Somerville), Augustine McMahon (Touch Rugby), Charlie Lamb (Cheerleading)

Miles has an infectious enthusiasm and motivation for Judo that he has spread throughout the club.  As a visually-impaired judoka, it took him only his undergraduate years to go from a newbie to a National Federation-approved black-belt and he is an inspiration in and out of the dojo. He worked hard to gain his coaching qualification and he has almost doubled the number of training sessions that are able to run each week. He devotes so much time and energy to planning thoughtful and constructive sessions, and to sharing his skills and knowledge. Thanks to Miles' coaching, the team's successes have also improved immensely winning 8 medals (4 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze) at BUCS compared to 1 the previous year.