University of Edinburgh Students and Staff Recognised at BUCS 2025

Showcasing Excellence Beyond the Field 

The week kicked off with a session co-delivered with Andy Barton, from Northumbria University, Edinburgh Sport's Lucy Charlotte Smith shared detailed insights into our work within the Active Wellbeing events space, and how Active Wellbeing, alongside our diverse sports programme, is ultimately striving to make sure every student has an awareness of, and is provided with, opportunities to be active at Edinburgh.

Later in the conference, alumnus and former Sports Union President and BUCS Student Officer, Peter Sawkins, led the final session of BUCS Conference. He hosted the "In Conversation" panel, discussing the experience of the Winter World University Games with Curling Mixed Doubles gold medallists Robyn Munro and Orrin Carson, and Chef de Mission from the Games, Chris Purdie.

BUCS Success

The conference concluded with the prestigious BUCS Awards ceremony, where the University of Edinburgh was recognised across multiple categories. The Men’s Hockey 1s Team was named BUCS Team of the Year, following a spectacular season. The team remained undefeated in BUCS Premier North, lifted the BUCS National Vase, and earned promotion to the BUCS National Premier League. In a historic first, they also became the only student side to win the Scottish Cup and finished 3rd in the Scottish Premiership. To top it all off, eight of their players were selected to represent Scotland at this year’s Nations Cup, marking a season of extraordinary achievement.Head Men’s Hockey Coach Neil Allan was nominated for Coach of the Year for his immediate and transformative impact on the team after taking the helm last summer. His methodical one-to-one approach significantly elevated the team’s culture and performance, leading to both individual accolades and collective success.Archie Goodburn, a finalist for the Dan Porter Award, was honoured for his courage and perseverance. After narrowly missing Olympic qualification for Paris 2024 by just 0.56 seconds, Archie began experiencing seizures in training, which was diagnosed as an inoperable form of progressive brain cancer. Undeterred, Archie returned to the pool, defending his BUCS Long Course 50m breaststroke title in February. Just two months later, he earned silver at the British Championships, earning national claim. Archie’s story of resilience, determination and strength continues to inspire the community.