Shortlist 2014/15
Sportswoman of the Year
Lotte Clapp (Women’s Rugby) Lotte is a first year studying PSE; this is also her first year in the England under 20s Women's Rugby team. In addition to this fantastic accolade she has also been invited to training camps for the senior England Women's Six Nations team which is where the selection for the senior team takes place. Lotte has represented England Women's u20s, playing both the Army and France in recent weeks. Lotte also plays her club rugby at Saracens, where she played her part in their winnig the premiership this season. Alongside both playing at the highest level of sport and keeping up with her academic be ands she has represented the University Women's Rugby Union team all season, only missing games owing to England training camps. She is a highly reliable member of the club. Lotte is a supportive member of the team, always willing to help those less experienced and offering advice to all players. Lotte is one of our top try scorers this season scoring no less than hat tricks in every games; she has made a great impact on the team this year. Irrelevant of the game or occasion, Lotte always gives 100% effort and when not playing/training she is always in attendance offering assistance where needed. Despite being a talented individual, with an extremely demanding schedule, Lotte always makes time for the team and has been a fantastic addition.
Sarah Astin (Athletics) Sarah first came to St Mary's as a very promising athlete; unfortunately due to injury and family issues, she did not fulfil her potential in her first year. However, in her second year, she started to fulfil her potential by running the qualifying time for the Commonwealth Games - the start of big things for Sarah. Towards the end of 2014, she showed her talent by running the second fastest relay at The Mansfield XC and was then selected to run for England in Spain where she finished 23rd in her first ever international race. In 2015 at the BUCS XC she stepped up again and finished second overall out of 243. Furthermore, as Vice Captain of Athletics, she has continuously proven to the rest of the team the dedication, commitment and passion associated with wearing the blue and white vest. Sarah relishes putting on the vest and representing the university. She is the role model of the team and has set an example of what working hard can do.
Sportsman of the Year
Ben Coldray (Athletics) This is Ben's fourth year at St Mary's and every year he has relished putting on the blue and white vest for St Mary's University. In the summer of 2014, Ben ran a PB of 3:43:97 which was the start of big things for him in Athletics. In 2014, Ben came second at the British Indoor Championships, his first senior medal. He was selected to race for England in Australia - his first senior international competition. A few weeks later, Ben went on to take Gold at the BUCS Indoors at Sheffield gaining one better than the Silver medal in the previous year. Ben continuously wants to represent the university the best he can. He will always race for the university and once again has proven this by winning the BUCS Indoors.
Joey Turner (Men's Football) He has put in great performances on a weekly basis, playing in nine out of ten league games, scoring in eight of them from midfield. He has been influential and a calming head both on and off the pitch.
Coach of the Year
Tom Spencer (Men's Football) Tom was a surprise candidate for the third team coach/manager at the Football AGM last year, but he has performed excellently. His team are champions. Aside from performing excellently for Football, he recently took the reigns of Futsal. They were struggling in terms of management and coaching but since he stepped in, everything for them has run much smoother.
James Giblin (Rugby League) Created links with Richmond School Sports Partnership getting the squad to help coach and referee for local boys and girls at RL tournaments. Networking with RL contacts to promote St Mary's and encourage students to come to the university and play RL here. Taken RL to the best finish in 10 years - top 8 in the country. Invited other St Mary's teams to show off their sport (Ultimate Frisbee). Coached well, helping 11 out of 20 players make the south east RL squad. Promoted a professional set up whilst still ensuring club cohesion. Brought the club from near relegation to one game off winning the league. Second team likely to come first or second in their league. Found paid work for members of the club within RL.
President of the Year
Stephen Wasmuth (Catholic) The Catholic Society last year was next to non-existent and was at best unstructured. Members belonged to one friendship group and as such did not meet as a society. Wanting to change this year, a group of us met during the summer term of 13/14 and elected a committee for this year. Stephen has lived up to our expectations as President. He has given structure to the society giving something strong to build on going into next year. As a group we have grown in friendship and have supported each other in our studies as well as our faith. Activities arranged by Stephen have included bowling and a homeless outreach.
Sam Druce (Rugby League) Organisation of Sports and Societies Fair stall: most professional ever, club sponsor were giving out freebies etc. Fifty paid members at the beginning of the year - vast improvement on last year. Fundraising efforts: £1000 for Cancer Research from 24 hour row. Maintained and built upon the relationship with SU/AU, Sport St Mary's and the community. Built an open, friendly and inclusive club which welcomes anyone of any ability. Built a strong foundation for next year’s presidents and looking at fund raisers for next year already. Built great relationships with the RFL and Student RFL and now players work for the RFL. Currently helping organise a charity match for a former player who passed away.
Mike Kiley (Men's Football) This year, Mike took over a club that always had good numbers, but suffered in recent years as a result of lack of organisation and discipline. That changed this year. Straight away, Men's Football had almost 100 paid members for the first term. He assembled a team underneath him that has allowed Men's Football to thrive both on and off the pitch under his leadership. Mike's performance this year has allowed the club to thrive and as a result, two teams will no way for league titles. Mike's performance has been outstanding from the moment he took the role. The accomplishments this year have not only turned the club reputation around, but put it into a position to succeed for years to come. Two league titles would be the icing on the cake for Men's Football this year and nothing less than what the club and Mike deserve for their hard work and commitment .
Team of the Year
Ladies’ Football First Team The Ladies’ First Team won league 1A, potentially unbeaten (one fixture to go). There has been a huge interest in girls wanting to play this year and supporting other clubs. The club is self coached and managed which is a huge responsibility and achievement for the team. The first team attracted two WSL players and has supported other clubs such as Rugby and Gaelic.
BUCS Athletics Indoors Team This year the team made history at the BUCS Indoors, coming away with six individual medals. On the Friday the team won silver in the Women's 60m. On the Sunday, Rowan Axe and Scott Halsted won Gold and Silver in the 3000m. 30 minutes later Richard Charles won Gold in the 800m. Lastly, in the 1500m Ben Coldray won Gold, and Daniel Cheeseman won Bronze. St Mary's made history as we took a clean sweep in the male distance events which has never been achieved before by any other university, finishing 4th overall.
Men's Football First Team Undefeated champions. These boys have been fantastic all season and have finished as South Eastern 1A champions having not lost a game. They now face Cardiff Met in a play off to join the Premier League. Having lost several old players, the team picked up a lot of Freshers’ and had many lads step up from the second and third teams. As well as being stars on the pitch, off the pitch many have helped other clubs when struggling for players. They have supported all other clubs in social fund raisers.
Society of the Year
Equality Society Equality Society has maintained good membership numbers throughout the year and inspired lively debates on campus. It has tackled many current issues in today's society. It has supported its members including LGBT issues. Many of the members partake in other societies and the Equality Society supported LGBT+ in its fundraising for an AIDS Awareness charity on World AIDS Day. Equality Society had its own fundraiser in which they raised over ÂŁ70 for Spire - a homeless charity. They also do outings and on 8th March will be attending the Women of the World Festival.
Dance Society The society has increased in numbers over the last two years - the society had 4 members at the end of 2013 and had 20 members join in 2014. The opportunities within the society have increased as this year Dance are performing in a competition,at SIMMStock, and at a dance show to be held at the SU. Dance have taken lessons at the Pineapple Dance Studios. The society has kept all activities within budget and even when there was limited money the society were still able to order hoodies and kit through fundraising. The society provides many dance styles for the members to experience such as contemporary, Jazz, Hip-Hop and Street through an external choreographer.
Catholic Society Catholic Society has shown great commitment this year to supporting students of faith on campus. The society has grown and made close links with other societies such as the Equality Society, with the leaders working together to share ideas and provide general guidance for each other. The society has worked closely with the Chaplaincy team to support their activities such as Nightfever and charity fundraising. As well as this, they have just started a project on homeless support. The society holds weekly meetings that are open to all and have involved a range of activities such as bowling, meals, film night, discussions and reflections.
Club of the Year Ladies’ Football Gained 40+ members. First team won league and are in the Premiership Play-offs. Second team have potentially won the league (or at least second place) after being promoted last year. Second team in semi-final of the cup. Supported other clubs in attending fund raisers and charity events. Supported Women's Gaelic and Rugby.
Men's Football Having often been in the limelight for all the wrong reasons, this year Football has been the pillar of change. They have been excellently behaved off the pitch socially and have let football on the pitch do the talking with two league titles - the most ever in a season. The club has been run well financially meaning that we won't run into thousands of pounds of debt and have fundraised over £2000. We have also backed all other teams in their fundraisers, and were heavily involved in RAG Week.
Cricket Meeting first half season targets Getting two sides out for the first time in five years Moved up to a category one sport Qualified for the indoor regionals after only three seasons Enlisted a coach for the first time Gained external funding from Sport London for the development of the club
Rugby League Raised over £1000 for Cancer Research by doing a 24 hour row Strong links with RFL, creating a festival feel on game day Most professional looking club at the Sports and Societies Fair inviting sponsors As a club, helped freshers into Halls Increased the number of paying members Supporting other club fundraisers whilst holding successful fundraisers in the SU ourselves Came from near relegation last year to contending for South Premier title Between 30-40 members at training sessions Professional set up throughout the year - coach and president and squad dynamics Won pre-season 9s tournament Largest old boys event with match on main campus and BBQ after Holding a Harlequins RL Old Boys vs St Mary's Old Boys event in memory of an ex student who passed away Better promotion via social media and posters to get people down to watch the games - 300 people approx Link with Richmond Schools Partnership - members of the squad coaching/refereeing 11 players in South East RL squad
Outstanding Contribution to Sport
Lucie Whelan Has gone beyond her duties in not only successfully running the Netball Club but also in getting members weekly coaching jobs in schools Made good relationships with other clubs including organising a joint fundraiser with Ladies’ Football and Cheerleading Helped organise UV Netball and hosted it alongside SIMMSactive to increase participation. Also leads SIMMSactive weekly Netball sessions to promote the sport and be a positive role model Organised pre-Varsity friendlies to motivate members and increase their skills Has supported other clubs’ fixtures and fundraisers as well as encouraging other members to attend
Rebecca Piddlesden Rebecca has gone above and beyond for her club and sports. Throughout this year she has captained the Women's Rugby Union team, which is an arduous task itself, whilst building fantastic communications and relationships with the team and other sports clubs. Rebecca is always first on hand to help organise and support the team and is fantastic at getting the best out of the girls, whether it be training or game time. Every player within the Women's Rugby Union has shown the utmost respect for Rebecca throughout the season. As captain, she remains professional, unbiased and always does what's best for the team, but shows empathy, patience and tact to each individual need. A fantastic role model for future captains. Rebecca has also played a part within the Women's Hockey team. Although she is not a member, she is always down to show her support and has occasionally umpired games in times of need. Outside the university, she is a high performing athlete in many sports, as well as coaching. So much time is given up by Rebecca in the name of sport and I know if there were more hours in the day, she would be participating and playing for almost all the sports teams available at St Mary's. An extremely talented individual, who gives up so much of her time for sports.
Ryan Jones The reason that Ryan is nominated is because he has constantly put himself out to help teams by driving minibuses for many of them. He has also jumped in goal for Men's Football when they were short of players. He has also played Gaelic, Futsal, Rugby League, and ran in the BUCS XC (beating Brunel!)
SIMMSport Coach of the Year Eileen Cassells Jack Hughes Natalie Gould
SIMMSactive Leader of the Year Beth Cardy Matt Latham Jenny Craig