Officially revealed on Thursday evening at the annual BUCS Annual Awards Dinner, Loughborough’s table-topping performance underpinned its status as the most enviable sporting institution in the UK’s higher education sector.
In what proved to be another year of sporting excellence, Loughborough titles were won in women’s tennis, men’s water polo, women’s netball, men’s basketball, men’s rugby union, women’s hockey, and more.
Louise Gear, Director of Sport, Loughborough University, said: “We are incredibly proud to have won another BUCS title. This title is down to the hard work of our athletes, coaches, support staff, and volunteers.
“Throughout the year, our teams from across a whole host of sports have defied expectations, produced incredible performances, and made memories to last a lifetime. We hope they take a moment to enjoy this fantastic achievement.”
Professor Jo Maher, Loughborough University’s Pro Vice-Chancellor for Sport, said: “Loughborough’s sporting excellence is globally recognised, but to maintain the consistency of results across so many of our teams, for so long, is an incredible achievement.
“We’re so proud of the way our teams and coaches have handled the challenge of staying ahead, and they have delivered impeccably on the field of play. This title is for all the Loughborough people who have worked so hard to make this happen.”
In a huge night of celebration for Loughborough, student Eliz Maloney was named Sportswoman of the Year. Eliz had a fantastic year on the tennis court, leading Great Britain to silver at the BNP Paribas University World Cup, alongside winning titles in BUCS and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) respectively.
There was also an award for current student Joel Moore, who picked up the Chris Potter Student Volunteer top prize. Joel was recognised for showing incredible dedication across a number of roles as he recorded a verified 3,425 volunteer hours in multiple sports.
The University also hosted the showpiece BUCS Big Wednesday for the second consecutive year which saw almost 2,500 spectators attend Loughborough’s East Midlands campus to witness the very best of student sport.
The event also saw over 100 student volunteers from Loughborough’s Coach and Volunteer Academy (CVA) helping deliver a first-class competition.
BUCS oversees higher education sport in the UK and supports and promotes the lifestyle and educational benefits of participating in sport.
Each year it delivers more than 50 sports to 170 universities across a varied programme of over 6,000 teams and individual competitors.