Twelve Waikato University students across nine sporting disciplines have been awarded prestigious New Zealand Universities Blues Awards for the 2009 academic year.
Peter Taylor, Emma Feathery, Jade Uru and Duncan Grant (rowing) Laura Langman (netball), Stephen Donald (rugby), Oliver Leydon-Davis (badminton), Victoria Hill (BMX), Nikki Cox (surf life saving), Michelle McCarthy (table tennis), Sean Woo (Judo) and Mita Graham (touch rugby) are among 60 talented student athletes receiving the award.
Nikki Cox, Stephen Donald and Laura Langman are also finalists in the Sportsperson of the Year category, and former University of Waikato student Monique Williams is receiving the Outstanding Achievement Award alongside three other athletes.
The New Zealand Blues is based on the traditional Blue of Oxford and Cambridge - it is awarded to university students who have achieved excellence both on and off the field of play. Presented since the first ever university competition in 1902, it is a reflection of the standard of New Zealand sportsmanship that a large number of successful New Zealanders have received this award.
The New Zealand Blues Awards Ceremony will be held on Friday June 25 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Wellington.