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November 2011 NUI Galway Awards 32 New Sports Scholarships

NUI Galway Awards 32 New Sports Scholarships

Pictured are the 2011 NUI Galway Sports Scholarship recipients. Back row (l-r): Richard Bennett, Jason Doherty, Sean O’Connor, Éinne Ó hEochaidh, Cian Fadden, James Brophy, Kenneth Hansberry, and Gerard Hanley. Third row (l-r): Billy Lane, Dean Higgins, Gerard O’Donoghue, Colm Galvin, Kevin McGlade, Sean Moran and Brian Gaffney. Second row (l-r): Eabhnait Scanlon, Enda Cradock, Richard Bennett, Gerard Cheevers, Ruairí McGeever, David Byrne , Freddie Timmins and Gary Sweeney. Front row (l-r): Cliona Hurst, Darren Wallace, Desmond Leonard, Joe Woods, Heather Cary, Jennifer Byrne, Chloe Morey and Eilish Ward.

Nov 08 2011 Posted: 14:54 GMT

At a special ceremony in the University last night (Monday, 7 November), 32 new recipients of NUI Galway student Sports Scholarships were presented by President, Dr Jim Browne. This brings the total number of students receiving sports scholarships at NUI Galway to 60.

Recipients this year include Jennifer Byrne who was part of the Irish Women’s soccer team that reached the quarter finals of the FIFA World Cup this summer in Trinidad and Tobago.

Mervue United Goalkeeper, Gerard Hanley is among those to receive a Soccer Scholarship. Gerard was recently called up the Irish U21 squad, and his sister Marion is a past recipient of a Tennis Scholarship at NUI Galway.

Dean Higgins and Billy Lane, members of the Galway All-Ireland Minor Hurling winning team, were among those presented with hurling Scholarships, while Joss Moore was part of the U21 Football Galway team that took this years All-Ireland title.

European Junior Silver medallist in Kickboxing, Desmond Leonard will be preparing for the World Championships later this year, while Heather Cary will be lining out for the Connacht and NUI Galway Ladies Rugby teams.

A number of the new scholarship holders will be targeting the 2016 and 2020 Olympics in their careers such as Kevin McGlade and Ruairí McGeever from Swimming, Freddie Timmins, Hockey and Archer Darren Wallace.

Also presented at the ceremony were two Gaelic Football Scholarships sponsored by Cadbury’s for outstanding U21 Footballers as part of their sponsorship of the U21 Football Championship. This year’s recipients are Gary Sweeney and Éinne Ó hEochaidh.

NUI Galway Elite Sports Development Officer, former Olympic Sprinter and former Director of Coaching for Athletics Ireland, Gary Ryan, said: “The NUI Galway Sports Scholarship scheme has a broad range of extremely talented young athletes and over the past number of years we have put in place excellent supports that have helped many of our students improve their performance significantly and to attain enormous success both in their sporting career and at the same time receiving an excellent education. Receiving this scholarship is a fantastic opportunity for these students as they will have access to some of the best people working in sport in Ireland.”

Scholarship benefits include a subsistence grant, coaching, medical and physiotherapy support, performance nutrition and performance psychology, strength and conditioning as well as performance planning and mentoring. Each Scholarship is built around the individuals needs and their chosen sport.

NUI Galway Sports Scholarships awardees: