13 September; Liam Petterson
We are thrilled to announce the University's sporting captains for 2019, Alice Wu (Badminton) and Noam Tidhar (Judo).
The pair will lead the University's contingent at Nationals Div 1 (formerly University Games) from 28 September to 3 October.
Studying a Master of Engineering (Structural), Noam's busy schedule involves three or four training sessions per day, including strength and conditioning, sports psychology and judo technique, on top of his postgraduate studies.
Last year, his dreams of competing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were all-but-ended when he broke his neck at an Olympic training camp. However, refusing to let the accident derail his progress, he is determined to recover in time for the Games through a 2-year accelerated development program.
In his role as one of this year's Sport Captains, he wants to improve the elite student-athlete culture within, and between, the University's sporting teams at Nationals Div 1.
"By sharing stories with each other... and going through challenges together, I hope Winged Victory will be an even greater force by the end of the competition," he told MU Sport.
Alice Wu juggles three on-court badminton sessions per week, strength and conditioning most mornings, and part-time work on top of her Bachelor of Commerce coursework.
Despite her high-achieving personality, she has struggled with self-doubt.
"I would constantly avoid responsibilities because I would think that I could not live up to the expectations," she said.
"But being able to come out of the comfort zone and to push my limits, I have come to realise that when you take on those responsibilities, they often turn into opportunities."
"Not only I can accomplish meaningful tasks, but most importantly [I can] develop and improve myself as a person."
She wants to pass on what she's learned about herself to the University's up-and-coming student-athletes.
"As a Sport Captain I hope to be a role model to inspire not only current student-athletes but also future student athletes of the University".
You can follow all the action from the 2019 Nationals Div 1 via our Facebook page and the UniSport Australia website.