A year in review: 2023 National Tertiary Championship Series

The UTSNZ series sees student athletes from across the motu come together to compete in a range of high-level events across the year. Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University participated in seven of the eight sporting competitions this year which included badminton, 3x3 basketball, volleyball, futsal, ultimate, basketball and netball.

Our student athletes celebrated significant accomplishments, both as individuals and as part of their respective teams, with a total of 103 students representing Massey.

Highlights for the year included both the netball and women’s volleyball teams securing bronze, as well as the men’s volleyball team and women’s 3x3 team winning the Spirit Award for their respective events.

Sport Advancement Coordinator Chris Sharrock says the series was a transformative journey for the athletes.

“This year has seen us go up against some exceptional competition, with remarkable talent demonstrated from all teams. While the results fell short of our initial hopes for the year, we couldn’t be prouder of the hard work and commitment put in by our student athletes. Through this experience, they’ve grown not only as competitors but also as individuals, gaining invaluable experience, confidence and a determination to come back next year and give it their all once again.”

UTSNZ Tertiary Badminton Tournament

The university’s UTSNZ year kicked off with a badminton tournament at the end of April at the Badminton Wellington Centre. The event provided tough competition and with a relatively new team still coming into their own, a sixth place finish allows room to grow and improve in the coming years, with a majority of the team looking to return.

Master of Science student James Ardo says despite the outcome, the tournament provided him with a highly rewarding experience.

“It was a unique and challenging experience that pushed me to my limits. Intense matches with exciting moments while enjoying the camaraderie and sportsmanship was a real highlight for me.”

UTSNZ Tertiary 3x3 Tournament

The 3x3 tournament took place mid-May at the Recreation Centre on Auckland University of Technology (AUT)’s North campus in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. The women’s team put up a competitive performance through their games but found themselves outmatched, taking seventh place. However, they were honoured with the Spirit Award for their impressive play and enthusiasm on the court. The men’s team received a similar result, and with being relatively new to the event and with an injury leaving them a man down, they still provided some remarkable play.

Returning UTSNZ player and Bachelor of Communications student Coola Baudry says it was an awesome weekend of competition.

“I always love playing for Massey at UTSNZ events as they’re always so much fun! We didn’t get the results we wanted, but we had a really great time.”

UTSNZ Tertiary Volleyball Tournament

AUT’s North campus also hosted the volleyball tournament at the beginning of July. The tournament saw plenty of highs and lows, with both the men’s and women’s teams going toe-to-toe with their competitors, leaving it anyone’s game.

Coming up against some tough opposition, the women’s team were proud to walk away with bronze, while the men claimed the Spirit Award for the event.

Bachelor of Science student Sam Mackinder of the women’s team says it was a fantastic event and team to be part of.

“We did well to win a bronze medal this year but have left hungry for more success. We have a great team culture and the opportunity to meet and connect with players from other Massey campuses and other universities is a very rewarding experience. Bring on 2024!”

UTSNZ Tertiary Futsal Tournament

The futsal tournament took place at the end of August at Palmerston North’s Central Energy Trust Arena and held the highest level of playing standard for an event in the UTSNZ Tertiary Sport calendar, with multiple Futsal Whites and Futsal Ferns participating.

While both Massey teams showed promise of progressing despite the tournament environment verging on semi-professional, they were unable to capitalise at critical moments, leading to a sixth-place finish for both.

Veterinary Science student Tim Justice says despite not getting the results they were hoping for, it was still a great event.

“We had a fantastic time together with some great teammates and got to improve immensely. It’s really exciting to look forward to what we might be able to achieve next year.”

UTSNZ Tertiary Ultimate Tournament

The beginning of September saw the ultimate tournament take place on a sunny weekend at Awakairangi Park in Upper Hutt. After a favourable start, the team were unable to capitalise on their initial win and an uptick in the famous Wellington wind made the competition even harder.

Despite not achieving a top place on the scoreboard, team captain Ronnie Readings walked away as the Most Valuable Player of the male tournament and was commended for his individual excellence.

Coach Joel Gordon says the tertiary ultimate team were solid performers at this year’s event.

“After we lost a couple of key players and New Zealand reps, it was always going to be hard to compete with the top teams, but we gave it our all, managed to get some decent results and had an absolute blast while doing it.”

UTSNZ Tertiary Basketball 5x5 Tournament

The penultimate UTSNZ Tertiary Sport tournament of the year was held over a sunny weekend mid-September at Cowles Stadium in Christchurch. Across the three days of the event, there were several close matches, with both teams performing strongly despite not finishing with the desired results.

Bachelor of Arts student Amiria Cooper says she had a fantastic time competing in her first UTSNZ event.

“I got to meet some cool people from other Massey campuses and played some high-level basketball. It was a great experience and I can’t wait to go again in 2024.”

UTSNZ Tertiary Netball Tournament

At the end of September came the final event for the UTSNZ Tertiary Sport series, with the netball tournament taking place at Ākau Tangi Sports Centre in Wellington. Despite being unable to engage in the customary team training session the night before the event due to weather conditions and indoor court availability, the team still played well together and came away with the bronze medal.

Claudia Brown, who is in her third year studying a Bachelor of Animal Science, says it was a fantastic high-level event.

“It’s always great to be able to meet up with the Auckland and Wellington campus girls. We had a great weekend and taking away another medal was the icing on the cake.”