Championing excellence from triathlon to textbooks

Following an 18-month recovery from a back injury, Eva spent her summer focusing on rehabilitation and consistency in the lead up to the event. Being based in Tauranga, she says she was able to maintain a schedule of swimming, biking, running and hitting the gym.

Finishing in seventh place in the individual event and third in the relay, Eva says the Oceania Championships was a valuable competition to invest herself in.

“It’s a great race to compare the training I did over the summer with the other athletes from New Zealand and Australia in a competitive environment. There are also lots of points for world rankings associated with the event. The course was awesome, as we rarely have surf swims, so the waves added a skill element. There was also a large hill each lap which broke up the field and allowed me in engage in some tactics.”

The 25-year-old says she began her athletic career in the pool, starting as a competitive swimmer during her schooling years.

“I soon discovered that running was my talent, which set me up well for triathlon, but knowing triathletes often peak later in their careers, I decided to run track and cross country in California for four years. During that time, I completed a bachelor’s degree at the University of California, Davis, on a track scholarship.”

Once she made the decision to return to New Zealand, becoming a full time professional triathlete with Triathlon NZ in 2022, Eva says she realised something was missing from her routine.

“I missed the balance of studying and training, something that I came to enjoy. I was also looking for a new challenge with my degree, so I reached out to Massey to see what their postgraduate business options were and how they would work in with my busy racing schedule. The online system at Massey is great, so without much deliberation I signed up for the two year Postgraduate Diploma in Business. This allows me to train and compete around the world while studying business online with ease.”

As a recipient of both the International Travel Fund and the Massey Business School Student Assistance Bursary for 2024, Eva considers it a privilege and expresses her appreciation for the assistance provided, given the costs involved in triathlon. Eva says the support she has received through Massey has been invaluable for balancing her athletic and academic career.

“Studying part-time and online works great without compromising my training, and it helps to add in a healthy dose of recovery marketing work between sessions. There are challenges, such as deadlines due on race weeks, but it adds to the whole aspect of staying focused and organised. Massey provides last-minute support when deadlines clash with competitions, which comes in handy especially if travel and racing gets messy or overwhelming. It’s reassuring to know I can have programme support when needed.”

Reflecting on her career highlights, Eva says finishing seventh at the 2023 World Triathlon Cup in Miyazaki has been one of her top moments.

“Unfortunately, a few days after the event, I injured my back so there have been a few mixed results as that heals. My other highlights include an unexpected start in the 2022 Montreal World Series final, as well as being in the running for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in my very first year of world triathlon. I also led my cross country team in the United States to a conference victory in 2021 and set a record on the school’s all-time list for the 3000m event. Coming fourth at the African Triathlon Cup last year was another top result.”

Eva says she is currently preparing for the Oceania Standard Distance Championships, which will take place in New Zealand in mid-April, before shifting her focus to the Gold Coast Super-Sprint Championships in May.

“I’ll have a short reset before the European racing season, either over June or September/October, with some French racing and world cups added to the schedule.”

About the fund

The International Sport Travel Fund provides financial assistance of up to $500 for student athletes selected to represent Aotearoa New Zealand at international sporting events. Find out more about the fund and additional support available for student athletes via Sport Massey.