After five days of competition, Team La Trobe’s performances were highlighted by silver medals to the Men’s Soccer and Men’s Basketball teams, while Team La Trobe co-captain and La Trobe Elite Athlete Program (LEAP) member Louis Mott finished with a bronze medal in the Men’s Judo U73kg category.
Fencing duo Lachlan Preshaw (gold) and Matthew White (silver) also secured a Team La Trobe 1-2 placing in the Individual Novice event, while our Mixed Netball team finished just outside of the medals in fourth position.
In total, La Trobe University sent 151 athletes across 16 teams (13 sports) to the University Nationals Division 1 competition. The team included eight representatives from the Bendigo campus and a number of athletes who are international students or living on campus at Bundoora.
Team La Trobe co-captains, Louis Mott and Emily Priddle (Women’s Netball), said they were pleased with the squad’s performance on the Gold Coast.
“Overall, I feel our team at Division 1 did extremely well and I’m proud of everyone’s efforts,” Mott said.
“Everyone competed to the best of their ability which is all we can ask, and the results and medals that came with that are a massive bonus.
“I really enjoyed leading Team La Trobe; I loved every minute. Throughout the week I tried to make sure everyone was being included and all the encouragement was really supportive and positive to help the team perform to the best of their ability while also having heaps of fun.”
Priddle also praised the team's camaraderie and spirit throughout the Division 1 campaign.
“Being team captain was such a great experience – I feel honoured to have been selected and if given the opportunity I would 100% do it again," Priddle said.
“I find that La Trobe is always well known for their support, effort and persistence regardless of the outcome.”
“Winning and receiving a medal, although desired, is not always the greatest achievement, as La Trobe show through many other aspects.
“The culture is something Team La Trobe prides itself on and I am so glad I got to be more heavily involved (as co-captain) in what we are all about.”
The list of final placings from all La Trobe teams from University Nationals Division 1 are as follows:
Women’s AFL – 8th
Women’s Badminton – 6th
Mixed Baseball – 8th
Men’s Basketball – 2nd
Women’s Basketball – 13th
Cycling (John McGuire) – 27th in Criterion and 29th in Individual Time Trial
Cheer & Dance – 4th in All Star Championship Rank, 8th in Cheer and 8th Dance
Fencing – 1st and 2nd in Individual Novice
Men’s Soccer - 2nd
Women’s Futsal - 8th
Judo (Louis Mott) – 3rd Men’s U73 Division
Mixed Netball - 4th
Women’s Netball – 8th
Men’s Tennis - 7th
Women’s Tennis - 10th
Ultimate Frisbee – 15th
Head to the La Trobe Sport Facebook and Instagram channels to view a gallery of images from Nationals Division 1.
