UniSport Media Release
For release: 27 November 2023
With the conclusion of the UniSport Nationals T20 Cricket Championships in Adelaide last week, UniSport Australia has named The University of Sydney (USYD) as the 2023 Overall National Champion University after their consistently strong performances across the 70 contributing pennant competitions held throughout the year.
USYD opened their pennant account claiming the women’s Athletics, and both men’s and women’s 3x3 Basketball titles earlier this year. Cross-town rivals, University of Technology Sydney (UTS) pounced with their mid-year men’s and women’s Futsal titles, followed by a dominant performance at Nationals Snow to claim another four pennants. With UniSport’s major multisport event, Nationals heading to Queensland in September, local universities, The University of Queensland (UQ) and Queensland University of Technology also posed a threat to the Sydney duo, starting the week with two pennants a piece.
After a tussling week at Nationals on the Gold Coast, USYD entered the final championship of 2023 equal with UTS, on 12 pennants each. The two universities were the highest two seeds entering the cricket tournament and produced impressive results to maintain top positions in their respective pools following the preliminary rounds. Unfortunately, poor weather conditions halted all final matches from being played, which meant UniSport awarded a joint T20 Cricket championship to the two Sydney powerhouses.
Their tied position on top of the pennant tally, meant that the number of second places achieved across the year would separate the winner, with USYD’s 13 silvers tipping them over UTS’s four. UQ finished in third place, ahead of The University of Melbourne in fourth and Monash University in fifth, each on seven pennants: the number of second placings, again, separating these teams.
UniSport Chief Executive Officer, Mark Sinderberry congratulated all universities who participated across the year of national events. “Congratulations to all 42 member universities who competed with passion and determination throughout the UniSport Nationals this year. In what has been one of the closest pennant tallies of recent years, I’d like to congratulate The University of Sydney for their consistent performances to be named the back-to-back Overall Champion University.”
Sydney Uni Sport and Fitness (SUSF) Head of Sport, Leonie Lum announced “We're thrilled to have secured the overall championship for 2024. Success in the Uni Nationals means a lot to us, and this year’s win is owed to the hard working students who represented Sydney University proudly, the wonderful staff and Sydney University sporting clubs and programs that support them, as well as The University of Sydney whose dedicated backing of university sport is second-to-none. Congratulations to our good neighbours, UTS, on a valiant challenge for the Trophy that went all the way to the post. We know you’ll be back on our tails in 2024! Thank you to all universities, students and staff who participated in the Uni Nationals in 2023, and UniSport Australia for putting on the terrific competitions throughout the year. We value the healthy rivalries and friendships that exist in our community and appreciate the immense part they play in enabling positive and memorable student experiences, as well as providing valuable opportunities for those who are striving for higher representative honours. We look forward to another year of intervarsity sport in 2024!”
Bond University retained its name on the Doug Ellis Trophy (Overall Per Capita Champion University) which is awarded to the university with the highest point score following all sporting competitions, after it has been multiplied by the university’s population factor.
Finally, the John White Spirit Trophy was once again awarded to Western Sydney University, recognising their outstanding efforts of participating in the spirit of the UniSport Nationals this year.
UniSport extends its congratulations to all the 2023 Overall and Regional winners.
Overall
Overall National Champion University - The University of Sydney
Overall Doug Ellis Per Capita Champion University - Bond University
Overall John White Spirit Champion University - Western Sydney University
North Region
Overall Champion University (Jodie Martin Trophy) - The University of Queensland
Per Capita Champion University (Patron’s Population Cup) - Bond University
Spirit Champion University (Ron Leahy Trophy) – Griffith University
South Region
Overall Champion University (John Campbell Trophy) - The University of Melbourne
Per Capita Champion University (Hugh McKechnie Trophy) – University of Tasmania
Spirit Champion University (Spirit of the South) – Monash University
East Region
Overall Champion University - The University of Sydney
Per Capita Champion University (Ann Mitchell Trophy) – University of Technology Sydney
Spirit Champion University (Ben Tjen & Shane Alvisio Trophy) – Western Sydney University
West Region
Overall Champion University – Curtin University
Per Capita Champion University – The University of Notre Dame Australia
Spirit Champion University – Edith Cowan University
To see the 2023 final rankings, click here. UniSport looks forward to another year of thrilling competition, with the 2024 event calendar to be released in the coming weeks.
About UniSport
UniSport Australia (UniSport) is the peak body for university sport in Australia. 42 universities are members of UniSport, representing a population of over one million students. UniSport’s ambition is to become an integral partner of Australian universities to deliver an outstanding student experience at our national intervarsity sports competitions. UniSport is also committed to advocate on the value of sport on student experience.
More information on UniSport: www.unisport.com.au
For more information please contact:
Christine Voge
General Manager - National Sport Program
Mobile: 0412 930 457