The annual UWA Blues Awards, held on Thursday 16 November at the Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, recognised the achievements of the 2023 recipients and welcomed them to the prestigious Blues family.
The evening, presented by UWA Athletics Half Blue recipient Michael Christie, was attended by a variety of members of the UWA Sport community. Special guests included Chair of the UWA Sports Advisory Council John Inverarity, Director of Student Accommodation and Community Ian Fitzpatrick and UWA Sports Council President Emma Bond.
Blues have a long-standing history at UWA, with Full Blues and Half Blues awarded by UWA Sports Council to student athletes since 1921. These awards are considered to be the highest possible honour a student athlete can achieve during their time at university. The awards not only acknowledge excellence in sport, but also the athletes’ contributions to their respective UWA Affiliated Sports Clubs. The Blues event is a way to honour our past and present Blues and to build and grow these relationships.
An outstanding 17 athletes were recognised and welcomed in the Blues coterie.
The event honoured the past and present Blues and provided the opportunity to build and grow these relationships. This was highlighted by the panel discussion headlined by Lynne Choate and William Bosisto. The former Blues recipients shared their remarkable sporting achievements whilst studying in different eras of the university.
Will Bosisto, UWA Cricket Club member shared insightful strategies in balancing the demands of an elite athlete and whilst striving for academic excellence. Will attributed his longevity in the sport due to his willingness to continually learn and improve in cricket. Will strives to remain curious in the sport by learning new tricks and wants to continually evolve in the sport. This is reflected in his current performance at the UWA Cricket Club, scoring 136 runs against Claremont Nedlands Cricket Club in Round 3 of the WA Premier Cricket League.
Lynne Choate, UWA Athletics Club member expanded on her experience as a Track and Field athlete at UWA. Lynne has a unique connection to the University, training and competing at McGillivray Oval since 1970.
Lynne ranks her Blues Award as one of the most meaningful accolades because of its connection to UWA. She expressed the importance of the comradery and bond within the UWA Blues family and legacy behind winning the prestigious award.
The proceedings concluded with the presentation of the 2023 Blues recipients, presented by UWA Sports Council President, Emma Bond. Congratulations to the following UWA Blues recipients on achieving this prestigious accolade.
2023 Half Blue Recipients:
Alex Perin (UWA Athletics Club)
Alexandra Griffin (UWA Athletics Club)
Annie Pfeiffer (UWA Athletics Club)
Owen Spicer (UWA Athletics Club)
Sienna Hanikeri (UWA Athletics Club)
Amy Mather (UWA Baseball and Softball Club)
Benjamin Clayton (UWA Boat Club)
Benjamin Melville – UWA Cricket Club
Jack Beggs (UWA Cricket Club)
Benjamin Farrow (UWA Rugby Club)
Tiam Toufan (UWA Rugby Club)
Liam Foley (UWA West Coast Swimming Club)
2023 Full Blue Recipients:
Etienne Rousseau (UWA Athletics Club)
Corey Rocchiccioli (UWA Cricket Club)
Connor O’Sullivan (UWA Rugby Club)
Nicholas Thompson (UWA Triathlon Club)
Phillipa Pedley (UWA Water Polo Club)
UWA Sport is committed to maintaining contact with sport alumni and those that have made university sport a success, and we hope that the 2023 Blues recipients will continue their connection to the University for many years to come.