Trinity Pinks Awarded for Outstanding Athletic Performance

Posted on: 19 December 2016

‘University Pinks’, the highest sporting award Trinity can bestow, have been announced. This year’s recipients are: Cian Flynn (rowing), Lucy Johnson (fencing), Phillip Cripwell (fencing) and Scott Flanigan (sailing).

Pinks are awarded, by DUCAC, not for a team performance but to student athletes who have shown outstanding individual merit.

Cian Flynn

Cian is a final year computer engineering student and also the current captain of DUBC (Dublin University Boat Club)

He coxed the DUBC Senior 8+ to an undefeated season in Ireland in 2015, in which they won the Gannon Cup on the Liffey against UCD, the Leander Trophy at the Cork Regatta – a win which earned the crew the prestigious ‘Afloat Rowers of the Month Award’ for June 2015 – the Irish Universities Senior 8+, the Trinity and Neptune Regattas and the Erne, Lagan and Dublin Heads of the River.

At the Erne Head of the River in March 2015, the DUBC Senior 8+ beat the Irish national heavyweight 8+ and lightweight 8+ by over 30 seconds – 6,300m in 18:22 to break the course record that had stood since 1990.

Cian coxed the DUBC Senior 8+ at the Eights Head of the River race in London in March 2015, winning the fastest overseas crew trophy and placing 19th overall of 329 crews, the fifth fastest university crew.

Cian was also the coxswain of the DUBC 4+ which reached the quarter-finals stage of the Prince Albert Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta in July 2016.

Lucy Johnson

Lucy is a third year acting student at the Lir, Ireland’s national academy of dramatic art here in Trinity.

She is an épéeist and won the Irish Open and West of Ireland Open épée titles in 2016. She also placed third in the National Championship in 2016.

Lucy is currently ranked number two in women’s épée in the country and Fencing Ireland awarded her the accolade of ‘Most Improved Athlete’ for the 2015–16 season.

Lucy, who is also captain of the women’s fencing team, represented Trinity at the Irish Universities Championships in both 2015 and 2016 and as part of the épée team for the annual Colours match against UCD in both years.

Phillip Cripwell

Phillip is a third year mechanical engineering student whose fencing discipline is foil.

He won the Irish Open, Irish Championship, and East of Ireland Open in 2016 and was runner-up in the Northern Ireland Open in 2016.

He is currently ranked second in men’s foil in Ireland and was ranked number one in both junior foil and senior foil by Fencing Ireland for the 2015–16 season. Fencing Ireland accorded him the accolade of ‘Most Improved Athlete’ any weapon for the 2014-15 season.

Phillip represented Trinity as part of the men’s foil team in 2015 and 2016 at the Irish Universities Championships and in the Colours Match against UCD.

At the FIE European Junior (U20) Fencing Championships in Serbia in March, Phillip made the cut to eventually place 37th of 92 competitors. At the FIE World Junior Fencing Championships in France in April, he again made it through the preliminary rounds to the final bouts, placing 108th of 157 competitors.

Scott Flanigan

Scott Flanigan is in his final year of earth sciences and is probably the most accomplished exponent of his sport to have sailed under the pennant of the DU Sailing Club for many a year.

He deferred his entry to Trinity for a year to allow him to train to compete for Ireland at the 2012 Olympic Games in the 470 Class.

Scott competes in all three disciplines of sailing: fleet (student yachting nationals, ICRA nationals, Fireball Ulster, Olympic classes 49er and 470), match (World Match Racing Tour, US Grand Slam, Nations Cup), and team (Irish Team Racing Circuit, British Team Racing Circuit).

He was named ‘Irish Universities Sailor of the Year’ for 2015–16, captained DU Sailing Club in 2014-15 and is also a former sports scholar. He contributed greatly to the sailing club’s wins in the Colours matches of 2014 and 2015.

The awarding of Pinks is a long-standing Trinity tradition and they are decided by the Captains’ Committee, which met in early December. Cian, Philip and Scott receive a Pinks tie to mark the occasion, while Lucy will receive a Pinks scarf at the Sports Awards and Commons in 2017.