TRINITY TODAY 2016
SPORT
The Sesquicentenary Regatta at Islandbridge in April
Game On With a new strategy providing a roadmap, Trinity Sport is on a definite course for success.
Dublin Camogie Young Player of the Year in November 2015, and also made the CCAO Third Level Camogie All-Stars selection. It was a landmark year too for DUFC’s senior team, who were promoted to Division 1A in April under the stewardship of Tony Smeeth, who was awarded a Trinity Sport Award that same month for his special contribution to rugby. The team’s winning ways didn’t end there – they also triumphed in the intervarsity Dudley Cup, which Trinity won for the first time since 1994, beating a UCD team consisting of 14 professionally contracted players. Trinity played its Colours match this year in College Park beating rivals UCD by a margin of 28-15, its first triumph since 2012. They were also runners-up in the World University Cup held in Oxford in October. Well done too to James Bollard who earned his first international cap at the World Rugby U20 Championship in Manchester in June. As women’s rugby continues to grow as a sport, so too does women’s rugby on campus. Not only did this year see an increase in the number of women participating in college rugby, the women’s team emerged
SPORTS IN NUMBERS
A
game-changer – that’s probably the best way to describe 2015-16 from a sports perspective in Trinity. Following the official launch of the strategy in February 2016, there is now a concerted effort to put sport at the heart of the Trinity experience. Trinity Sport is raising its game when it comes to all things sporting and the strategy provides a roadmap for improving the performance of our athletes and for enhancing participation among students and the wider college community over the next few years and beyond. One group that has already raised their game, it seems, are the college’s GAA players, who’ve had one of their best years in recent times. The men’s football freshers played a blinder all year, becoming the first freshers in Trinity history to win the Division 2 championship. Their future looks bright. The men’s senior hurlers had another great year, defending their Ryan Cup title and in the process elevating themselves to the Division 1 Fitzgibbon Cup competition. The highlight for the Trinity ladies Gaelic football team was playing in the Division 1 O’Connor Cup – the first time in the club’s history to compete at such a high level. Since 2012 the ladies have progressed swiftly up through the divisions. They started the 2012-13 season in Division 3 and by 2015-16 had reached the top tier. The Camógs put in some very impressive performances resulting in a well-deserved win in February to claim the Fr Meachair Cup. The talents of camogie sports scholar Aisling Maher were also recognised when she was selected as the
Sonia O’Sullivan with members of the Women’s Senior 8 team who were awarded Pinks at the Sport Awards and Commons in April
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Pinks awarded at this year’s annual Sports Awards and Commons
48 60 The number of student sports clubs
Sports scholarships awarded for academic year 2015-16
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