A cohort of Northern Ireland Olympians and Ulster University graduates have returned to the University to welcome the next generation of sporting talent as the 2024 Performance Sport Scholarships are awarded.
Some 53 student athletes who have displayed exceptional potential in their chosen sports were granted scholarships, totalling over £100,000, to offset student fees and cover their training costs for one academic year.
The Performance Sport Scholarships, which are awarded to athletes vying for success in sports including judo, field archery, bowls, swimming, hockey, gymnastics and athletics, will support competition travel, equipment, training resources and other essential elements to reach the top of their game.
This year’s scholars compete in 15 sports and study at Ulster University at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels across its campuses in Belfast, Coleraine and Derry~Londonderry.
Among them is Nick Griggs, a first year Sport & Exercise Student who achieved a world first on Saturday 9 November, completing the Belfast Victoria Parkrun in 13:44, the fastest ever time in the weekly run which takes place at over 2500 locations in 22 countries across five continents every week.
Ulster University alumni and Paris 2024 Olympians Danielle Hill (Swimming, Team Ireland), Peter McKibbin (Hockey, Team Ireland), Jonathan Lynch (Hockey, Team Ireland) and Olympic Gold Medallist Jack McMillan (Swimming, Team GB), all previous recipients of Performance Sport Scholarships from Ulster University, returned to offer their advice and well wishes to the current students chasing academic and athletic success.
Offering his advice to this year’s Performance Sport Scholars, Team GB Gold Medallist (Swimming) Jack McMillan said:
“For me, success is about staying level-headed and dedicated, coming back down to earth from a high, finding routine again after Paris and the fire to compete at the highest level again in the future. Paris was a special type of games and having friends and family there to watch me come away with a Gold medal was incredible. Coming to events like this at the University and seeing old teammates who supported me throughout my whole career is really great.”
Team Ireland Olympic Swimmer Danielle Hill added:
“We don’t often get semi-finalists, finalists or medallists from a small country like Northern Ireland, so it’s lovely to be invited back to Ulster University to celebrate what we have done. This University has been incredible to me and to all of us, Jack and I studied our undergraduate together and I'm now back doing a masters. I didn’t think twice about where I wanted to go for my masters, I knew I'd be supported in whatever I want to do.
"Sport should be accessible to everybody through education and that’s why I’m back at Ulster University, it has fairly changed my life by opening a lot of doors. Now I've competed at multiple commonwealth games, world championships, two Olympics, and behind all of that was Ulster University. They have gone above and beyond what anyone could ever want as an athlete.”
With over 50 individual Performance Sport Scholarships, the student athletes will also receive personalised mentoring, academic support, and access to state-of-the-art training facilities to ensure a well-rounded development experience throughout their time at Ulster University.
The Performance Sport Scholarships are supported by Lacuna Developments, Student Roost, Titanic Quarter, Golf Now, The Gaelic Players Association, Randox, and the Ulster University Development and Alumni Relations Office and Student Opportunity Fund.
Ulster University Provost, Professor Cathy Gormley-Heenan said:
“We are honoured to present the 2024 Performance Sport Scholarships to this year’s cohort of exceptional athletes. We have athletes competing at all levels and are delighted by every single one of their achievements. These achievements belong to the athletes but could not be possible without all of the people, families and coaches that support our athletes, and we thank those who are working really hard at all levels to continue making sport accessible.
"At Ulster University, we believe we have a key role to play in the pathway that leads to their success, not just in university but in their whole life, including sporting endeavours. The demands of performance sport are considerable, and we are pleased to support our students, through our dual career programme, to balance academic studies and sports training.”
The scholarships are awarded as the Belfast Sports Centre, a new state-of-the-art leisure and sporting facility opened in September 2024, prepares to host the ENAS Forum 2024, welcoming over 120 delegates from universities across Europe to explore how higher education institutions can create active campus communities, encouraging students, staff and the communities around universities to live active, healthy lifestyles.