After an action-packed three days of university sport, we take a look at the winners from all four Championship events that took place at the 2023 BUCS Nationals.
The 10th edition of the BUCS Nationals, which featured Championship events in athletics, swimming, badminton, and climbing, delivered yet another exhilarating showcase of UK university sport.
Over 4,000 students from universities across the UK traveled to Sheffield this past weekend to compete in their respective championships, all of which form the annual event known as the BUCS Nationals.
As records were broken both in the pool and out on the track, the annual event produced some breathtaking performances as students demonstrated their strength, speed, and skill in pursuit of national glory.
Find out which students made history by reading our full 2023 BUCS Nationals recap or click on the icon of your preferred sport to jump straight to the results.
The 10th edition of the BUCS Nationals, which featured Championship events in athletics, swimming, badminton, and climbing, delivered yet another exhilarating showcase of UK university sport.
Over 4,000 students from universities across the UK traveled to Sheffield this past weekend to compete in their respective championships, all of which form the annual event known as the BUCS Nationals.
As records were broken both in the pool and out on the track, the annual event produced some breathtaking performances as students demonstrated their strength, speed, and skill in pursuit of national glory.
Find out which students made history by reading our full 2023 BUCS Nationals results recap.
2023 BUCS Nationals Results
Indoor Athletics Championships
Indoor Athletics Championships
A total of 15 events took place between Friday and Sunday at this year’s Indoor Athletics Championships. Featuring multiple record-breaking performances, a grand total of 37 students were crowned BUCS National Champions!
Track Champions
| Event | Men’s Champions | Women’s Champions |
|---|---|---|
| 60m | David Morgan-Harrison Hull |
Joy Eze Newcastle |
| 60m Hurdles | Joseph Agbodza Nottingham Trent |
Jodie Smith Brunel |
| Ambulant 60m | Joel Mattacks Cardiff Met |
Didi Okoh Birmingham |
| 200m | Evan Blackman Durham |
Hannah Longden UWE |
| 4x200m Relay | Brunel Jason Kalala, Tyler Panton, Alex Hanson and Geiovannie Sealy |
Strathclyde Emma Barclay, Erin Campbell, Kelsey Stewart and Amy Kennedy |
| 400m | Cameron Bailey Birmingham |
Emily Newnham Loughborough |
| 800m | Harry Fisher Birmingham |
Mol Hudson Leeds Beckett |
| 1500m | Tyler Bilyard Birmingham |
Beth Morley Loughborough |
| 3000m | James Heneghan Cardiff |
Elsa Palmer Birmingham |
Above: Jodie Smith of Brunel set a new BUCS record with her breathtaking performance in the final of the 60m Hurdles.
Above: Brunel’s relay team of Jason Kalala, Tyler Panton, Alex Hanson, and Geiovannie Sealy secured gold in the 4 x 200m.
Field Champions
| Event | Men’s Champions | Women’s Champions |
|---|---|---|
| Pole Vault | Jake Watson Oxford |
Jade Spencer-Smith St Mary’s |
| Shot Put | Chukwuemeka Osammor De Montfort |
Serena Vincent Portsmouth |
| Long Jump | Calum Henderson Loughborough |
Jodie Smith Brunel |
| Triple Jump | Josh Woods Birmingham |
Georgie Forde-Wells Loughborough |
| High Jump | Kelechi Aguocha Loughborough |
Emily Madden-Forman Manchester Met |
| Ambulant Long Jump | Jordan Andrew UEL |
Didi Okoh Birmingham |
| Ambulant Shot Put | Freya Howgate Loughborough |
Above: Portsmouth’s Serena Vincent (center) set a new BUCS record to claim back-to-back titles in the women’s shot put.
Above: Men’s pole vault champion Jake Watson delivered gold for the University of Oxford in Saturday’s final.
Overall Indoor Athletics Champions – Loughborough University
With an impressive 17 medals, Loughborough University were once again named overall champions of the Indoor Athletics Championships.
Loughborough’s students secured 5 gold medals, 4 silver medals, and 8 bronze medals to be crowned overall men’s and women’s champions for another year.
Badminton Individual Championships
Badminton Individual Championships
More than 600 student-athletes competed at this year’s Badminton Championships as some of the very best singles and doubles players at the university level went for gold.
| Event | Men’s Champions | Women’s Champions |
|---|---|---|
| Singles | Cholan Kayan Manchester |
Kirby Ngan Nottingham |
| Doubles | Kelvin Ho & Samuel Ricketts De Montfort |
Asmita Chaudhari & Lizzie Tolman Loughborough |
| Mixed Doubles | Alex Green & Lizzie Tolman Loughborough |
|
Above: Mixed Doubles Champions Alex Green & Lizzie Tolman are joined by runners-up Adam Pringle and Rachel Andrew (University of Strathclyde) and third-place partners Samuel Smith and Sian Kelly (University of Nottingham) and U. Arora and Asmita Chaudhari (Loughborough).
Climbing Championships
Climbing Championships
The second-ever BUCS Climbing Championships saw over 400 students test their strength, endurance, and mental focus on Saturday. With only 2 individual titles up for grabs, the fiercely contested competition produced a fantastic display of the rapidly-growing university sport that is climbing.
| Title | Men’s Champions | Women’s Champions |
|---|---|---|
| Individual | Joe Xiberras Sheffield |
Emily Phillips Sheffield Hallam |
| Team | Sheffield Hallam | Sheffield |
Above: Emily Phillips of Sheffield Hallam secured the women’s title with an excellent score of 234. Just six points shy of the gold medal was Sheffield’s Kitty Morrison who scored 228 points, whilst Strathclyde’s Pippa Watkin took the bronze medal.
Above: The men’s team podium featuring champions Kieran Forrest, Elias Bignold, and Sam Blackwell of Sheffield Hallam, runners-up Finley Wood, Ewan Walker, and Kris Kothari of Sheffield, and bronze medalists Ian Davis, Alistair Baird, Josh Vroom of Birmingham.
Long Course Swimming Championships
Long Course Swimming Championships
More than 2,000 students gathered at the fantastic Ponds Forge International Sports Centre this past weekend to put on a show at the 2023 Long Course Swimming Championships. Swimmers from over 70 universities were in attendance as new champions were crowned and records were broken.
Freestyle
| Distance | Men’s Champions | Women’s Champions |
|---|---|---|
| 50m | Alex Cohoon Loughborough |
Catie De Loof Sheffield Hallam |
| 100m | Alex Cohoon Loughborough |
Catie De Loof Sheffield Hallam |
| 200m | Evan Jones Stirling |
Paige Madden Loughborough |
| 400m Relay | Loughborough | Loughborough |
| 800m | Daniel Wiffen Loughborough |
Leah Crisp Bath |
| 1500m | Daniel Wiffen Loughborough |
Fleur Lewis Loughborough |
Breaststroke
| Distance | Men’s Champions | Women’s Champions |
|---|---|---|
| 50m | Greg Butler Loughborough |
Tatiana Belonogoff Loughborough |
| 100m | Greg Butler Loughborough |
Tatiana Belonogoff Loughborough |
| 200m | Greg Butler Loughborough |
Lily Booker Loughborough |
Above: Loughborough’s Greg Butler dominated the men’s breaststroke category. Greg matched his performance in last year’s event, winning gold medals in all three distances.
Above: Aberdeen’s Faye Rodgers emerged victorious in the women’s butterfly S10 race. The Paralympic 2024 hopeful (pictured right) even set a new BUCS record in the process.
Butterfly
| Distance | Men’s Champions | Women’s Champions |
|---|---|---|
| 50m | Lewis Fraser Swansea |
Jess Calderbank Salford |
| 100m | Lewis Fraser Swansea |
Laura Stephens Loughborough |
| 100m S10 | Faye Rodgers Aberdeen |
|
| 200m | Andreas Vazaios Loughborough |
Laura Stephens Loughborough |
Backstroke
| Distance | Men’s Champions | Women’s Champions |
|---|---|---|
| 50m | Conor Ferguson Loughborough |
Catie De Loof Loughborough |
| 100m | Oliver Morgan Birmingham |
Laura Stephens Loughborough |
| 200m | Oliver Morgan Birmingham |
Katie Shanahan Stirling |
Above: Stirling’s Katie Shanahan set a new BUCS record in the women’s 200m backstroke. Katie was joined on the podium by Honey Osrin (Loughborough) and Sophie Shaw (Manchester).
Above: Conor Ferguson produced a stunning swim in the men’s 50m backstroke to claim gold for Loughborough. Birmingham’s Oliver Morgan finished just one-tenth of a second behind to claim silver, whilst Zach Speakman of Stirling completed the podium.
Medley
| Distance | Men’s Champions | Women’s Champions | Mixed Champions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200m IM | Evan Jones Loughborough |
Katie Shanahan Stirling |
|
| 400m IM | Duncan Scott Guest |
Freya Colbert Loughborough |
|
| 400m Team | Loughborough | Loughborough | Loughborough |
Overall Long Course Swimming Champions – Loughborough University
Loughborough University were once again crowned the overall winners of the BUCS Long Course Swimming Championships.
With a staggering tally of 50 medals that included 28 golds, Loughborough’s students produced some magical swims at this year’s Long Course Championships, breaking 9 BUCS records across multiple disciplines.
A special mention to Loughborough’s men’s and women’s 2023 Performance Champions Greg Butler and Catie De Loof, who dominated their disciplines.
Learn more about the sports played at BUCS Nationals
The BUCS Nationals is a highly competitive event, and many of the students who compete are among the best in their respective sports. The event provides an opportunity for student-athletes to showcase their skills and compete at a high level, while also representing their universities.
Widely regarded as one of the main highlights on the UK university sports calendar, this year marks the first time that the event was broadcast exclusively on BUCS TV, allowing people from all over the world to watch the action.
Click below to learn more about each of the sports featured in this year’s Nationals below.
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