Wallis Russell (Boat) and Belinda Snell (Sydney Uni Flames) shared the 2017 Female Sportswomen of the Year award, while Anthony Hrysanthos (Water Polo) was named Sportsman of the Year at a packed annual presentation dinner in the Great Hall last night.
Boat Club President Sarah Cook accepts the Ann Mitchell Trophy at the 2018 Sydney Uni Sports Awards
In a year of outstanding performances, Russell and Snell were up against Clare Hunt (Soccer), Michelle Jenneke (Athletics) and Holly Crawford (Snow Sport).
Belinda is the captain of the Brydens Sydney Uni Flames and long-term Australian women’s basketball star. She is also currently competing with the Australian Opals Squad at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Snell has represented the Opals at three Olympics Games and two Commonwealth Games and at World Championships and was named the University of Sydney Female Blue of the Year for 2017, as Captain of the Flames 2016-17 Championship winning side.
Wallis is a talented rower who, despite still being classified as a Junior (Under 19) in 2017, competed in Under 23 and Open aged events with great success. At the 2017 NSW State Championships, Wallis won four gold medals in the Under-23 Lightweight Women’s Single Scull, Under-23 Lightweight Women’s Double Scull, Open Women’s Eight, and Open Lightweight Quadruple Scull.
Wallis was a member of the winning Women’s Eight from SUBC at the prestigious Gold Cup regatta. She also stroked the winning Sydney University Women’s crew in the Australian Boat Race, winning the Bella Guerin trophy for the first time. Wallis was also selected onto the 2017 Australian Rowing team in the Under-23 Lightweight Women’s Quadruple Scull, who placed 6th at the World Championships.
The Professional Administrator of the Year Award went to Dustyn Butler (Boat Club) in a field that included Dale Bryant (Cricket Club), Jack Prato (Australian National Football Club), Stephanie Glanville-Fyfe (Soccer Football Club) and Kirsty Stevens (Football Club).
The Ann Mitchell Award for the Most Outstanding Performance at the Australian University Games or Australian University Championships went to the Boat Club after the club dominated 2017 AUG Rowing. Other nominations were Athletics (Women) and Soccer (Women).
Sydney University Boat Club was the only sport to win both the Men’s and Women’s 2018 AUG titles. The team won gold medals in several events, including women’s lightweight single scull, women’s lightweight quad scull, women’s coxed four, mixed eight, mixed four, men’s pair, men’s coxed four and men’s Eight (Oxford and Cambridge Cup).
The Premier Club of the Year was shared by the Boat Club and Sydney Uni Flames in a hot field that included the Women’s Water Polo Club, the Athletics Club and the Cricket Club.
SUBC celebrated its most successful year on record. Notable results included the women winning the Bella Guerin trophy in the Australian Boat Race for the first time and claiming Men’s, Women’s and Overall point scores at the Australian University Games. SUBC also topped the pointscore at the 2017 NSW State Rowing Championships and Jack Hargreaves claimed gold at the 2017 World Championships, the first time Australia has won this event since the Oarsome Foursome 26 years ago. SUBC provided 12 athletes on the Australian Rowing team, including Open and Under 23s, in 2017.
The club also opened their new SUBC Thyne Reid Boathouse at Linley Point and established an SUSF Rowing scholarship, named the Jane Spring Scholarship. And club treasurer John Boultbee was awarded the prestigious World Rowing Distinguished Service Award to Rowing.
The Premier Coach of the Year award was shared by Alfie Young (Boat Club) and Cheryl Chambers (Flames) in a field that included Robert Taylor (Men’s Rugby) and Tom Morrison. This recognition for Alfie Young followed his naming as Rowing Australia’s Development Coach of the Year in 2017.
Wallis Russell joins the athlete panel at the 2018 Sydney Uni Sports Awards