Team Surrey secure silverware at BUCS Nationals!

February 16, 2018

Team Surrey secure silverware at BUCS Nationals!

On Friday 16th February, 7 Team Surrey Clubs embarked on the long journey north to Sheffield to compete at BUCS Nationals weekend. Returning home with a total of 7 medals and a number of club records and personal bests, it was certainly worth the 400-mile round trip. Leading the way on Saturday in Karate, Abigail Gomes secured gold in the intermediate individual Kata medal and later claimed a bronze the senior Kumite.

Sunday brought even more success in this discipline as Kristin Fjeldberg obtained a silver medal in the senior Kumite, and first year Iona Coleman won a bronze medal in the novice Kumite.

The influence of the Judo Club’s Head Coach, former Olympian Ashley McKenzie, was apparent as Isabelle Blackwell battled her way to a bronze medal in the Women’s u-52 kg category.

Liddy Stainer showed she is able to compete with the very best in the Women’s Épée Fencing, securing a bronze medal after eventually succumbing to the event’s overall winner in the semi-finals.

The Swimming team also demonstrated their ability to compete at the very top over the course of the weekend with standout performances in solo races, as Surrey topped the heats in several categories.

However, it was the relay competitions where Team Surrey really shined. The Women’s team placed 6th in the B-final, while the Men’s team came 9th in the A-final to place themselves in the top 10 university teams in the Country.

Climbing enjoyed a weekend of testing their skills against tough opposition in an extremely competitive environment. Abigail Sanderson notably finished in the top 50 out of over 170 athletes in the Women’s individual category.

Running and Athletics faced stellar opposition across the board, yet still showed that their hard work this year is reaping dividends. Several athletes achieved personal bests and a special shout out has to go to Braddan Hammonds for his final sprint in his 3000m heat to secure an 8th place finish.

Finally, and despite the incredible standard on show from all competitors, Badminton demonstrated their prowess over the entire weekend by competing across all available categories. The Club held their own and triumphed in several testing matches to progress to the later rounds.

Congratulations to all medallists and competitors on an incredible BUCS Nationals for Team Surrey!