Unis go for gold in new games

ALMOST 6000 athletes, officials and volunteers from 43 universities around Australia are on the Gold Coast to bring glory to their university for the UniSport Division 1 nationals.

Following the UniSport restructure, Division 1 nationals sees only the top 10 universities in each of the 33 sports compete, raising the calibre of competition.

While they’ll be battling for the title, teams will also be competing to stay out of the bottom two and keep their Division 1 spot for next year.

Sports range from the traditional football and basketball to the quirky tenpin bowling and ultimate.

Gold Coast universities Bond and Griffith will both be making the most of the event being held on the Gold Coast.

Bond team co-ordinator Rebecca Herbert said there’s a home ground advantage, especially for swimmers who’ll be in the same pool as they swam at the Commonwealth Games.

Bond University will be represented by 130 athletes across 14 sports.

With all of its Georgina Hope Rinehart scholars competing, Herbert said the swimmers were hot contenders to take home gold.

“Hopefully we’ll win the swimming overall in the women’s and we’re hoping to take out the men’s after coming second last year,” she said.

Herbert said Bond was also expected to do well in surfing, with two of its athletes in the World Qualifying Series and was a good medal chance in the mixed touch.

Nationals runs from today until Thursday across 26 venues

The top 10 universities for each of the 33 sports will compete, including in athletics, cheer, cycling, futsal, hockey, sailing, touch and tenpin bowling

Teams battle for the title, while the bottom two universities will be relegated to division 2 for 2019

For the rest, Herbert said they’re hoping to stay in the top eight and the Bond spirit will help get them over the line.

“Other Bull Sharks teams and our cheer team come and support each other – it’s a really good culture we have here,” she said.

In a combined Gold Coast and Brisbane campus team, Griffith University will be represented by about 180 athletes across 15 teams.

Griffith’s Gold Coast coordinator Christina Hickman said they’re in with a good chance to take home gold.

“I think we have a few very good chances of pulling out the win,” she said. “We’ve always done pretty well in men’s and women’s rugby sevens, mixed and women’s touch, as well as women’s netball.”