January 2013 NUI Galway Rewards Sporting Students

                                             Sport Scholarships presented to 25 students

At a special ceremony at NUI Galway tomorrow, 25 new recipients of University student Sports Scholarships will be presented.  This brings the total number of students receiving sports scholarships at NUI Galway to 60.

NUI Galway offers comprehensive sports scholarships to students each year to support and develop their sporting and academic careers. As well as financial support, scholarship holders get access to NUI Galway facilities as well as physio and medical care, coaching and academic support and a range of services designed to help athletes reach the top of their sport. The range of expertise available is from experts who have all worked with top international competitors right up to and including Olympic level.

The success of athletes supported by this program in recent years includes World U23 Handball Champion, Diarmuid Nash; World U23 Rowing Silver Medallist Niall Kenny; World Kickboxing Silver Medallist Des Leonard; and Olympians such as Paul Hession, Olive Loughnane, Alan Martin and Cormac Folan. The All -Ireland Finals in GAA were also strongly populated by NUI Galway sport scholarship students.

Gary Ryan the Elite Sports Development Officer at NUI Galway pointed out that, “The aim of our scholarships is to provide the right supports to young athletes that will not only help them to become world class athletes but great Doctors, Engineers and Teachers as well.”

This year’s recipients reflect the growing strength of sport in the region and the wide variety of talent that NUI Galway attracts. Angela O Connor is one of Ireland’s most promising young swimmers who will train in the new Connacht High Performance centre based at the University, while Lauren Murray will play with the newly formed NUI Galway Mystics in Division 1 of the National Basketball League

Robert O Callaghan was part of the NUI Galway/ Gráinne Mhaol crew that won the senior 8’s at the Irish Rowing Championships in 2012, and Conor Egan and Dan Hindle were part of the successful Intermediate 4 at these championships.

Clare’s Aaron Cunningham and Conor McGrath were part of the Clare team that won the All Ireland U21 Championship in 2012 and Conor O’ Shea while still a teenager was part of the Mayo panel as they reached the All-Ireland Final last September.

This year the NUI Galway Soccer Club will present a scholarship in memory of the late Eamonn “Chick” Deacy. "Chick" formerly of Galway United, won an English League title with Aston Villa in 1981, he won four Irish International caps and received an honorary Masters of Arts degree from NUI Galway in 2009. The first recipient of this award is Gabriel Darcy who is studying physics and medical physics.

To apply for a Sports Scholarship at NUI Galway visit http://www.sports.nuigalway.ie/scholarships_info.html for details.

ENDS