The Trinity Sport Awards took place on Monday, 9th May 2022 at the Aviva Stadium, thirteen awards and the Pinks ceremony were announced during the awards ceremony. The annual awards are open to all sport clubs, and they acknowledge the extraordinary commitment made by the sporting community at Trinity College Dublin. The 9th Annual Trinity Sport Awards 2022 were presented by broadcast journalist, Maire Treasa Ni Cheallaigh. During the awards, Conor Laverty, GAA Development Officer and Senior All Ireland Football Club Champion with Kilcoo GAA and Leah Paul, Senior International Cricket Player took part in a panel discussion reflecting on their sporting experiences this year.
Reflecting on the year, Michelle Tanner, Head of Sport and Recreation at Trinity College Dublin commented on the night, “The Trinity Sport community has shown tremendous resilience, talent and creativity over the last two years and we are honoured to be able to celebrate the extraordinary people involved, and the commitment and achievements of our sports clubs and community in person this evening. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate every student athlete, administrator, volunteer, club member, team, alumni, coach, and club nominated this evening for a Trinity Sport Award. I would like to thank the Trinity Sport team who have been amazing in every respect and demonstrated their resilience, commitment, and passion for sport, for students and all our members over the last two years. I would also like to thank our sporting colleagues and friends throughout the University, who continue to support our student sporting endeavours. We have seen a shift and heightened awareness of the importance of our physical health, and I believe even more now; we all appreciate the true value that sport offers our community.”
The highly coveted Sport Person of the Year Award went to Leah Paul, Leah has recently become a key player for Cricket Ireland women’s senior team and has had some career best performances this season most notably hitting a career best 95 as Ireland women registered its second highest ever team total against Zimbabwe.
The ‘Team of the Year’ Award when to Trinity GAA Fresher’s Football team, Trinity’s first year footballers were crowned the Rory O’ Connor Electric Ireland Fresher division two champions, following a 14-point victory over opponents IT Carlow.
The ‘Performance of the Year’ Award went to DUHAC women’s team for their performance at the IUAA Cross Country Championship. DUHAC excelled on the day as the women’s team claimed gold for the third year in a row while the men’s team finished in fourth position. Trinity College Dublin came second overall in the team competition, just behind Dublin City University.
Dublin University Harriers and Athletics Club won the ‘Inclusive Club’ Award which was presented in association with Sporting Pride. DUHAC have shown immense dedication to ensuring their training sessions and events were as inclusive as possible. DUHAC club committee members attended inclusion talks hosted by Trinity Sport and set up a student survey to discover the needs of students with disabilities and injuries.
The full list award winners are as follows:
- Sport Person of the Year Winner – Leah Paul
- Performance of the Year Winner – DUHAC Women’s team at the IUAA Cross Country Championship
- Team of the Year Winner – Trinity GAA Fresher’s football team
- Club of the Year – Trinity Volleyball Club
- Club Administrator of the Year Winner – Ciara Black, Trinity Women’s Rugby
- Game Changer of the Year – Patrick McBean, Trinity Badminton Club
- Coach of the Year Winner – Larissa Muldoon, Trinity Women’s Rugby
- Volunteer of the Year Winner – Connor Hennessy, DUAFC
- Alumni of the Year Winner – John Boyd, Trinity Rugby
- Inclusive Club Award Winner – DUHAC
- Impact Award Winner - Hockey Men
- Trinity Sport ‘Member of The Year’ Winner – Sean Casey
- Social Media Campaign of the Year Winner – Dublin University Boat Club
In addition to the Sport Awards, the University Pinks were announced on the night including Jack Dunne, Thomas Clarkson, Liam Turner, Shane Keane, Luis Faria, Claire Rafter. The University Pinks are awarded to student athletes who have shown outstanding individual merit – in much the same vein as a ‘Blue’ is allocated in Oxford and Cambridge. Over 1,230 students have received the prestigious accolade since its inception.