The University of Queensland is Australia’s top-ranked sporting university after being crowned inaugural champions.
Introduced in 2018, UniSport Nationals feature two flagship events – Nationals Div 1 and 2 – as well as a number of standalone competitions.
535 student-athletes competed for ¹ú²ú̽»¨ at 2018 Nationals events, including Triathlon, Distance Running and Orienteering.
Team ¹ú²ú̽»¨ won nine Div 1 champion pennants – the most of UniSport’s 43 member universities – to be named overall champion.
¹ú²ú̽»¨ Sport chief executive Bryan Pryde said the achievement continues ¹ú²ú̽»¨’s rapid improvement at UniSport-sanctioned events.
“Over the past three years, ¹ú²ú̽»¨ has risen from finishing 20th overall at 2015 Australian Uni Games to now be the number one-ranked university in Australia,” Mr Pryde said.
“The result is a tremendous achievement, and is testament to our commitment to grow and support student sport at ¹ú²ú̽»¨.”
In addition to the nine pennants, ¹ú²ú̽»¨ placed second in five sports, and was third overall in a further seven.
Mr Pryde said a significant number of elite-level student-athletes represented ¹ú²ú̽»¨ at Nationals events.
“The team that competed at Nationals Div 1 event on the Gold Coast featured 35 (Elite Athlete Friendly University) athletes, including 19 recipients,” Mr Pryde said.
“This group of elite student-athletes regularly contests state and national-level events, and certainly helped drive performances across a wide array of sports.
“I extend my congratulations to every student-athlete that competed for ¹ú²ú̽»¨ in 2018, and look forward to Team ¹ú²ú̽»¨’s continued success at Nationals events.”
¹ú²ú̽»¨ is likely to field Nationals Div 1 teams in Basketball (Women’s), Rugby Sevens (Men’s) and Volleyball (Women’s) in 2019 after earning promotion from the Nationals Div 2 competition.
2018 UniSport Nationals Div 1 – ¹ú²ú̽»¨ Results
Champion Pennants (9):
Athletics (Men’s & Women’s)
Beach Volleyball (Women’s Pairs & Mixed Fours)
Handball (Mixed)
Hockey (Men’s)
Judo (Men’s)
Squash (Mixed)
Touch Football (Mixed)
Second Placings (5):
Badminton (Men’s)
Beach Volleyball (Men’s Pairs)
Fencing (Men’s & Women’s)
Tennis (Women’s)
Third Placings (7):
Cheer & Dance (Mixed)
Cycling (Men’s)
Judo (Women’s)
Rowing (Women’s)
Sailing (Open)
Taekwondo (Men’s)
Volleyball (Men’s)
2018 UniSport Nationals Div 1 – Overall Rankings
Ranking |
University |
Pennants |
Second Placings |
Third Placings |
1 |
The University of Queensland |
9 |
5 |
7 |
2 |
The University of Sydney |
8 |
7 |
10 |
3 |
The University of Melbourne |
8 |
4 |
7 |
4 |
Monash University |
7 |
4 |
2 |
5 |
The University of New South Wales |
6 |
3 |
3 |
6 |
Queensland University of Technology |
5 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
University of Technology Sydney |
4 |
14 |
7 |
8 |
Griffith University |
3 |
3 |
6 |
9 |
RMIT University |
2 |
7 |
3 |
10 |
Australian National University |
2 |
3 |
1 |
11 |
Bond University |
2 |
1 |
1 |
12 |
Macquarie University |
2 |
1 |
0 |
13 |
Southern Cross University |
2 |
0 |
0 |
14 |
Federation University |
2 |
0 |
0 |
15 |
Victoria University |
1 |
2 |
0 |
Media: Jamie Mitchell, ¹ú²ú̽»¨ Sport, JamieM@uqsport.com.au, 0423 785 752.