MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate release: 16 October 2009
New Zealand’s up-and-coming sports stars were honoured in a formal ceremony on Friday 16 October for striking the
balance between sport and study.
The Blue Awards ceremony hosted by Unitec and its student association the USU, awarded thirteen students with Blue
Awards ranging from a Paralympics coach through to a karate champion.
A Blue Award is the highest sporting accolade that can be achieved at a tertiary education level; it recognises
student’s outstanding performances and contribution to sport while studying.
The Blue Awards is an international tradition that originated in England where the colours of Oxford and Cambridge
Universities came to symbolise excellence in sport. The awards have been an important part of sport at tertiary level in
New Zealand since 1922.
The ceremony also saw a swimming champion named the Unitec sportsperson of the year. This award was to recognise Jessie
Blundell’s excellence in all aspects of tertiary life including academic success, involvement in sport at Unitec, and
national athletic performance.
Blundell has balanced studying landscape architecture at Unitec, with competing in competitions this year, including the
World Uni Games in Serbia, where she was a semi-finalist in the 200 backstroke. Last year, Blundell was also named the
ASB young sports women of the year for swimming.
USU student president Greg Powell said the awards were a great way to recognise students’ abilities to achieve
outstanding sporting success while studying.
“Sport and study are extremely demanding on their own, but these students have managed to put high levels of commitment
into both fields, and done so excellently,” Powell said.
The 2009 Sporting Blue Awards Winners at Unitec were
Athletics
Carl Van Der Speck
Cricket
Greg Morgan
Football
Allan Boere
Karate
Jasmine Holland
Iron Blacks Coach
Michael Mau’u
Olympic Wrestling
Faisal Attayee
Olympic Weightlifting
Lou Ernesto Guinares
Paralympics Coach
Helen Predergast
Rugby Union
Hazel Tubic
Lydia Crossman
Swimming
Jessie Blundell
Underwater Hockey
Stephanie O’Neale
USU and Unitec Sports Person of the Year
Jessie Blundell – Swimming
For more information about USU visit http://http://www.usu.co.nz
ENDS