Brown, Wilson top Massey Blues
Finn Brown capped off his top year in Judo by being named Massey University’s Manawatu¯ sportsman of the year at the annual Massey Blues sports awards on Tuesday night.
Netballer Maia Wilson was crown Manawatu¯ sportswoman of the year, while three teams picked up team honours with Massey A1 netball and Massey women’s 1st VI football sharing the women’s award and the Massey White rugby team grabbing the men’s title.
During the awards evening, that featured Paralympic swimmer Mary Fisher as guest speaker, 69 Massey Blues awards were handed out as the university acknowledge sporting achievement between September 1, 2016 and August 31, 2017.
Brown trained with the Hong Kong Judo Team and members of the Japanese Olympic team and coaches in October last year.
He returned to New Zealand to claim gold in the junior men’s under 73kg division at the New Zealand National Judo Championships.
He also picked up a bronze in the junior men’s open weight.
Those results left him ranked No 1 New Zealand junior and senior man in the under 73kg division.
From there he headed to the Oceania Judo Championships in Nuku Alofa, Tonga in April where he won a bronze in the junior men’s U73kg division and silver medal in the senior men, battling Australian 2016 Olympian representative Jake Bensted.
Wilson was acknowledge for her Silver Ferns debut in late 2016, roles with the Central Pulse and Northern Stars in the ANZ Championship and for being part of the world champion New Zealand Under 21 team.
The Massey A1 netball team won the 2016 Premier One competition. While they also won the 2017 title, it was outside of the 2017 awards timeframe and will be considered next year.
The Massey women’s 1st VI football finished nine points clear of their nearest competitor as they claimed their title and the Massey White rugby team claimed the colts division of Manawatu¯ club rugby for the third consecutive season.
Sarika Rona was also acknowledged with the outstanding contribution award for her work in netball.
Rona was first involved with Massey netball as a player in 2002.