Kicking off the shortlists with a big one, the Team of the Year Award celebrates the most successful teams of the year gone by in terms of performance and achievement.
With so many team successes in the year just gone, including a massive 10 team promotions in BUCS leagues and numerous medals at BUCS events, this is an incredibly competitive category.
The five shortlistees demonstrated clear objectives, which they not only met, but blew away completely. Got your tickets for the big event yet? Reserve them for free, and join us to see who is crowned Team of the Year at the Sports Awards Ceremony on Monday 20th June
Here's more about each of our nominees:
CU Boat Club - Women's Squad
With the ultimate goal of making the boat go faster, the CUBC Women’s Squad were bolstered by the strength of Tokyo 2021 Olympians Imogen Grant, Grace Prendergast and Ruby Tew, though the team includes a number of athletes taking steps towards the top level of rowing.
The CUBC women won all of their respective Boat Races (Openweights, Lightweights, Blondie and Spare 4+) in 2022, including course records for both the Openweights and Lightweights. The squad was also crowned top University team in the country, lifting the Victor Ludorum Trophy at the annual BUCS Regatta in June 2021 and April 2022, an outstanding achievement.
CU Fencing Club - Men's Blues
The CUFC Men’s Blues eyed up promotion from Midlands 1A to Premier South at the beginning of the year, and in remarkable fashion they went unbeaten in the league to move into a promotion playoff, where they dispatched Exeter to reach the top tier of BUCS Fencing.
The team also edged out rivals Oxford at Varsity, and were the only Cambridge team to reach BUCS Big Wednesday, where they played in the final of the BUCS Trophy competition. They had some standout individual performances too, particularly at BUCS Nationals, where UCAPP athlete Henri Kopra secured a bronze medal.
CU Lawn Tennis Club - Women's Blues
Perhaps the highest ranked team for Cambridge this year in BUCS leagues, the CULTC Women’s Blues competed in the BUCS Premier South division for the first time, exceeding all expectations to win the league and qualify for playoffs for the coveted BUCS Tennis National league.
The team’s key performers Emily Arbuthnott, Anna Chesca and Georgie Walker drove the team on to new heights, with both Emily and Anna having a 100% win record in BUCS matches this season.
In individual competitions, Georgie and Anna reached the BUCS Individual Champs quarter finals, with Emily securing a silver medal, while in the BUCS Doubles event Emily and Georgie both secured silver medals.
CU Riding Club - Equestrian Team
The only shortlistee whose season is yet to finish, as they compete in the BUCS National Equestrian Finals from the 8-10th June. This is the first time that both the 1st and 2nd teams from CURC have qualified for the National finals, and the first time for many years that either team has qualified. Whatever happens, they’ll rank in the top 6 of university teams nationally!
CU Ultimate - Men's Team
It was hardly possible for CU Ultimate Men’s Team to have a more successful season, winning every competition that they entered in emphatic style and securing promotion to a higher BUCS league. The team were also delighted to recover the Varsity trophy from Oxford for the first time since 2015.
The team went unbeaten during their whole outdoor season, winning 16 fixtures, then also going on to win the BUCS Shield in the outdoor finals. The team were successful indoors too, winning the BUCS Trophy, while also being selected for the 'spirit of the game award' for their positive and respectful attitude towards teammates and opponents – truly encompassing the values that Cambridge sport stands for.
