From 22 to 24 April, student-athletes from universities across the country met at the Gold Coast Performance Centre in Queensland to compete in the annual UniSport Nationals’ Athletics competition.
This year, the University of Melbourne had 27 student-athletes in attendance, 14 Men and 13 Women. The Men's team finished third, and the Women's team sixth overall. The team competed in a mixture of track and field events, but had most success on the track with seven medals, compared to the field's one.
Two of our athletes defended their 2025 titles: Alex Hanigan and Marcus Wakim went back-to-back in the 1500m race (with a season-best time) and the 5km race walk, respectively. Hanigan went on to win double-gold, improving on his 800m third-place in 2025, to win and finish first this year.
He wasn't the only student-athlete to improve on last year's performance; Jack Ellis secured a Gold medal in the 3km SteepleChase (with a personal-best time) after finishing second last year in the same event.
Marlgun Wagner just missed out on a medal in the 1500m, but was able to secure the Gold in the 5km (with a personal-best time).
Our fifth and final Gold medal went to Roman Anastasios in the High Jump. The World Unigames Bronze had a season-best jump at 2.24m to secure the Gold.
Jamie Blackburn won our only Silver medal in the 10km, while Ella Tobin and Gabrielle Vincent took home the Bronze in the 400m and 5km, respectively.
We would like to extend a big congratulations to everyone who competed at this year's UniSport Nationals event. Regardless of individual results, it is clear that the University of Melbourne was represented well by all involved!
To win eight medals overall is an excellent feat, but what made this event even more admirable was the team being crowned Spirit Champions. This award is awarded to the university that showed the most outstanding spirit across the entire event. This title is voted on daily by competition managers, team managers, UniSport staff, and event volunteers, making it a true reflection of energy, sportsmanship, and team culture.
For a full list of results, click here.
