Team UWA at Nationals Triathlon. Photo: UWA Sport
The University of Western Australia (UWA) and The University of Queensland (UQ) have been crowned the 2020 UniSport Nationals Triathlon Champions.
Over 60 students from 18 Australian universities competed in the Mooloolaba Triathlon (Sunshine Coast, Queensland) on Sunday 15 March. UQ and Queensland University of Technology (QUT) had the highest representation, with 14 student-athletes each. UQ's numerical advantage paid off, landing them on top for the women’s point score and securing the championship.
In the women’s race, Penny Slater (Bachelor of Education, University of Canberra), finished first with an outstanding time of 02:05:46. Hedda Cooper (Bachelor of Medicine) from Griffith University (GU) finished second three minutes behind Slater, with Sarah Short (Bachelor of Medicine) from The University of Adelaide (AU) rounding out the podium two minutes later.
Penny Slater, University of Canberra leading the charge. Photo: @pen_slater (via Instagram)
Emma Taylor, Competitions Manager at UQ Sport praised the efforts of the team and the dedication and hard work they had shown.
“The University of Queensland has a vibrant triathlete community and we are thrilled to have so many outstanding student-athletes represent UQ at UniSport Nationals Triathlon,” said Emma.
“To have three female athletes record top 10 finishes is a terrific achievement, and we are delighted to be crowned overall champions in the women’s category,” she said.
In the men's race, Jonathan Sammut (Bachelor of Commerce), led the charge for UWA with a time of 1:44:46 to clinch first place, ahead of teammate Nick Thompson (UWA), and Kurt Fryer (Bachelor of Arts and Education) from University of Technology Sydney (UTS) in second and third place respectively.
Jonathan Sammut, The University of Western Australia leading the men's race. Photo: @jonneysammut (via Instragram)
The two podium finishes propelled UWA to the top of the men's point score table, sending a message to the other universities that cross-country is no hurdle for success.
Student Athlete Services Officer at UWA Sport, Shannon Eagland elaborated on their victory in the men’s championship and praised the strength of the team.
“UWA Sport are thrilled to pass our congratulations to Jonney, Nick and Agostino for taking out Overall Men’s Champions,” said Shannon.
“Both Jonney and Nick are leaders in their sport and were rewarded with first and second placings,” she said.
“Agostino was also able to make significant contribution to the team, shaving 23 minutes off his last recorded time in January.”
“We had four athletes represent Team UWA at the event demonstrating great commitment to their sport and travelling the significant distance from Perth to Mooloolaba to compete.”
UniSport CEO Mark Sinderberry was pleased that the 2020 National Championships was able to get underway before the full impact of COVID-19.
"We are delighted that student-triathletes had the opportunity to represent their university at Nationals Triathlon in March,” said Mark.
“We’d like to congratulate every student-athlete that competed and are looking forward to continuing with the UniSport Nationals when it is safe to do so,” he said.
Whilst the impact of COVID-19 has affected other Nationals events including Athletics, 3x3 Basketball and Swimming, UniSport Nationals continues with League of Legends commencing on April 18 (online).
To see how your university fared, and to view the full triathlon results, head to unisport.com.au/triathlon-div1
For more information, please contact:
Eloise Ayre
Sport and Operations Manager - National Championships
P 07 3876 2610
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