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By Ilhaam Groenewald, Chief Director Maties Sport
As the year ends, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to each member of our #MaroonMachine team. Your commitment to excellence has been the backbone of our success, and your hard work and dedication have provided our student-athletes with the support they need to thrive both on and off the field. Every victory, every comeback, and every achievement this year has been possible because of your relentless effort, guidance, and belief in our team.
Thank you for being a source of strength and inspiration to our athletes, especially as they navigate the challenges of balancing academics, sport, and their personal spaces. We acknowledge the challenges?and?areas for improvement, but most importantly, your resilience and commitment do not go unnoticed.?I am genuinely grateful to have such an exceptional team by my side. Let's continue building on this year's successes, and here's to even greater achievements!
Allow me to share some of our special moments, namely:
-?????? Three Maties Rugby alumni, namely Edwill van der Merwe, Ben-Jason Dixon and Jordan Hendrikse, made their international debut with the Springboks.
-?????? Maties Sport had eighteen student-athletes and staff who were representatives at the Olympics and Paralympic Games.
-?????? Five Maties represented South Africa at the FISU Chess, FISU Rugby 7s and FISU Golf Championships throughout the year.
-?????? Three Maties represented South Africa at the CUCSA Games, and each landed gold medals, namely Dineo Fanampe, Andrea Cornelissen and Mieke Basson.
-?????? Ten Maties represented South Africa at the All-African Games, with Miré Reinstorf securing gold and an African record for pole vault.
-?????? Maties Sport retained their USSA title in men's rugby 15s, a remarkable feat, as it was the third year they had accomplished this.
-?????? Maties Netball player Syntiche Kabuya recently made the South African netball team competing at the Fast Five Netball World Series.
-?????? Our student-athletes' academic performance increased from 16 to 37, with 75% and above in their academic year. In their various sporting codes, 35 were awarded full colours representing South Africa or other countries.
-?????? The Rector's Awards for Excellent Achievement celebrated the outstanding accomplishments of students in academics and co-curricular fields, including the following six Maties Sport student-athletes: Danielle van Niewenhuizen (Netball), Andre-Hugo Venter (Rugby), Mieke Basson (Athletics), Ongeziwe Mali (Hockey), Lehan Botha (Cricket) and Bianca Augustyn (Rugby).
Another key highlight was the continuation of our new Campus Sport format, which we expanded to six bumper evenings this year. The team is super excited about this initiative's potential to grow in 2025. Have a restful, blessed, and safe festive season; see you next year!" ?
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