Students earn top marks at awards night
A host of student athletes were recognised as the University of Wolverhampton's end-of-year awards, writes Matt Maher.
Competitors in sports as varied as football, hockey and swimming were among those receiving prizes at the university's Institute of Sport Sports Awards 2016, which was held at Molineux's WV One venue.
The annual awards celebrate the achievements of the teams and individuals that compete in the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS).
Hosted by Wolverhampton cycling legend Hugh Porter MBE, the evening also featured an inspirational talk from Paralympic archery gold medallist Danielle Brown MBE.
Notable winners included British judo champion Seb Green, who was named sportsman of the year.
His fellow judoka, Jack Hodgson, who will represent Britain at the Paralympics, picked up the outstanding achievement award.
Team of the year went to the women's football side after their victories in the BUCS Midlands 2A League title and Conference Cup Final.
Men's hockey skipper Ashley Davies was named captain of the year, while Zsuzsa Galloway claimed the coach of the year prize for her work with the volleyball team.
Swimmer Emily Gordon was sportswoman of the year, with Ben Rabaiotti named social sports activator of the year.
Bess Evans, deputy director of Institute of Sport, said: "We have had some great performances this year with four teams winning their leagues. We entered 24 teams in all competitions across a range of sports so to come away with five trophies is a great achievement.
"The more we can improve performance and rankings the more it'll boost the reputation of the university for sport and attract more elite athletes to study with us.
"Everyone at the university is really proud of the performances our teams and individuals have put in this year."
