Elite athlete round up - October

It often involves late nights, early mornings and lots of preparation to ensure that neither study or sport falls by the wayside. It's a balancing act, but one that our elite athletes are only too happy to perform as they chase their dreams of sporting success, all while setting themselves up for life after sport. 

Athletics star and Law student Georgia Winkcup has had a brilliant season - setting a new UniSport Australia record in the 3000m steeplechase back in April and then setting about smashing her personal best time, taking 37 seconds off through the course of the season and qualifying for her first ever senior Athletics World Championship. Despite the challenging conditions at the event in Doha, Georgia had a strong run, finishing in 9:50. Although well below her personal best, it was a promising start at senior level for the young athlete who will have learnt a lot from her time in the Australian camp and competing at the event.

Commerce and Media student Rebecca Beeson has also had a huge year, building on her Best and Fairest award for the GWS Giants in the AFLW by heading down to Melbourne to join her Hawthorn team for the VFLW competition. Although her team finished seventh and missed out on finals, Bec was recognised as the runner up in the team's best and fairest. She will head back to the Giants for the 2020 AFLW competition, along with UNSW Psychological Science student Tait Mackrill, who was originally delisted by the club, but picked back up in this week's draft. They will be joined at the club by UNSW-Eastern Suburbs Bulldogs player Ingrid Nielsen.

Rugby 7s Australian representative Henry Hutchison is aiming for his second Olympics as he lines up with the Aussie Sevens at the Oceania Olympic Qualifyers in Suva, Fiji from 7-9 November. Henry is studying Commerce at UNSW and has been a member of the Aussie Sevens since 2015, at times also balancing these with stints in the Super Rugby and Shute Shield.

Netball sensation Matilda McDonell has had a breakout year. She was the youngest contracted player in the entire Suncorp Super Netball league, making her debut for the Giants against the Melbourne Vixens during the season. Identified as an outstanding young talent, Tilly has been re-contracted by the Giants for 2020, where she will again work with one of Australia's most respected coaches in Julie Fitzgerald. Tilly also played NSW Premier League with the GWS Giants, where her team finished third, and competed in the Australian Netball League, finishing fourth with the Canberra Giants. During 2019, Tilly also represented NSW in the Australian 19 and Under Championships, finishing second at the tournament and earning a place in the Australian 19 and Under squad, which has a view towards the 2021 World Youth Cup in Fiji.

Australian hockey's rising star and UNSW Actuarial Studies / Commerce student Tim Brand has been carving it up with the Kookaburras this year in the FIH Pro League. The team won the prestigious championship and Brand scored 15 goals throughout the season. For his outstanding efforts, Tim has been nominated for Junior Athlete of the Year at the NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) Awards, to be held on 14 November. Tim is also representing NSW Pride in the new Hockey One league - the Australian national league, along with UNSW Hockey Club members Kurt Lovett, Dylan Martin, Jess Watterson and Grace Young. The Pride's men's team is undefeated after four matches and sitting in second place, while the women's team is in sixth place currently.

UNSW-Wests Killer Whales goal keeper Lea Yanitsas is also being honoured at the NSWIS Awards, nominated for the Ian Thorpe AM Outstanding Achievement Award. Lea plays for the Aussie Stingers - the Australian Women's Water Polo team - and competed at the 2016 Olympics. Since then, she has celebrated the birth of her first child and returned to the pool with the Stingers, playing in the FINA World Championships in Gwangju, Korea in July this year and coming away with a bronze medal.

Environmental Management student Carly Leeson has made the move to the Melbourne Renegades for this season of the WBBL, which kicked off last weekend. Carly has yet to debut for her new club yet, but expect to see her out on the field in red very shortly. Meanwhile UNSW alumni Georgia Redmayne (Perth Scorchers) and Alex Blackwell (Sydney Thunder) are back in action also. Alex's team fell to cross-town rivals the Sydney Sixers (featuring Universities Women's Cricket Club members Maddy Darke and Stella Campbell) in their first match, with Alex giving them a chance, putting on 56 runs. In their next game against the Brisbane Heat, Alex was again a rock in the batting, scoring an unbeaten 42. The Scorchers played their first game on Wednesday, with Georgia scoring 11 from 12 in her first hit out for the team, which she joins after a stint with the Hobart Hurricanes.

In the National Rugby Championship grand final this weekend, two UNSW students in Andrew Deegan (Commerce) and Fergus Lee-Warner (Construction Management) will take the field for the Western Force, as they come up against the Canberra Vikings. Following the grand final, Andrew will be relocating to Melbourne, where he has been offered a contract with the Melbourne Rebels for the 2020 Super Rugby season.