Elite athletes study at UWS

Elite athletes study at UWS

The achievements of UWS students are certainly not restricted to the classroom. Dani Samuels and Melinda Vernon are proof of that, achieving national and international recognition as elite athletes, while balancing their study at UWS.

World discus champion and Bachelor of Arts student Dani Samuels was recently awarded the Most Outstanding Sporting Achievement award at the annual Australian University Sport Awards.

The award recognised Dani’s gold medal efforts at the 2009 World University Games in Serbia in July 2009 and the IAAF world championships in Germany in August 2009. A previous UWS Sports Scholarship recipient, Dani also had an outstanding domestic season that included a new personal best mark and her sixth consecutive national discus title.

Dani has managed to reach the pinnacle of her sport while balancing study, with the assistance of the Elite Athlete Support and Assistance (EASA) program at UWS.

“With the support of initiatives such as EASA, there are many opportunities for young athletes to train and attend University locally while they work towards to making their sporting dreams a reality," says Simon James, who manages the EASA program.

Bachelor of Applied Science student Melinda Vernon is another high achiever in the sports arena. Female winner of the 2009 City to Surf, Melinda recently achieved her second World University Cross Country Championship medal at the 2010 World University Cross Country Championships in Canada. Scoring a silver medal in the Female Teams event, Melinda was also the top placed Australian runner, finishing seventh. Melinda is a 2010 UWS Sports Scholarship recipient.

UWS Sports Scholarships are available to students who demonstrate their contribution to University sport and their ability to sustain or improve their elite sporting level of performance from the previous year.

For more information about UWS Sports Scholarships, see the Scholarships website or contact Simon James.