BUCS 2024-25 Round Up

The University currently sits comfortably in 5^th place in the overall British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) points.

A total of 130 teams were entered into league and knockout competitions this year, securing an impressive 17 league titles. An impressive nine teams reached cup finals, with four bringing home the trophy. Additionally, more than 1000 students competed in individual BUCS events, attending over 70 BUCS competitions across 48 different sports. 

11 teams saw promotion across various leagues, with Women’s Football 1’s and Women’s Table Tennis 1’s moving up to BUCS Premier Tier and Men’s Hockey 1’s to BUCS National Premier Tier. Both Women’s Football 1’s and Men’s Hockey 1’s made an appearance at BUCS Big Wednesday. Following two very tense matches going to penalties Men’s Hockey took home the National Vase title and Women’s Football finished runners-up in the National Trophy.

Six teams made it to the Conference Cup Finals in March, with three claiming victories and adding further success to the year’s tally. 

The University also made its mark at BUCS Nationals, where 117 athletes competed across six sports, returning with a brilliant 21 medals. Individual standouts included Stephen Mackenzie who took gold in the Long Jump with a Championship record of 7.85m, and Antoine Pinardin who earned gold in Karate (Senior Kumite +84kg) for the fourth consecutive year.

The Orienteering Club continued its dominance, topping the BUCS table once again. The Club earned seven medals, as well as the overall men’s and women’s team golds, while also bringing in a remarkable 114 BUCS points, 56 points clear of the next-best university.

It was a year of firsts for both boxing and surfing. Arbi Maki won boxing gold and Makena Burke secured gold in surfing, while also helping her team claim women’s team silver. These were the first-ever BUCS medals in both sports. 

Altogether, 16 sports at the University finished the season ranked in the top five for their sport in the BUCS table, a testament to the breadth and consistency of high-level performance across the board. 

To round off an incredible year, the University earned three prestigious nominations at the BUCS Awards:

• Men’s Hockey 1s – Team of the Year
• Neil Allan (Men’s Hockey) – Coach of the Year
• Archie Goodburn – Dan Porter Award

This year’s success is a testament to the talent, determination and dedication of our student athletes and the support of their coaches.