Annual Sports Academy Awards Celebrate Athletic Excellence
Wednesday 28th May 2025
After a year of exciting triumphs and accolades – including an outstanding campaign at this year’s Association of Colleges (AoC) Sports National Championships – over 200 learners from across the College’s sports academies gathered this weekend to celebrate their achievements at the annual Loughborough College Sports Awards.
Four special awards were given out over the course of the event, which was held to celebrate highlights for the 24 sports academies homed at the College over the past year.
Taking home the title for Team of the Year was the women’s rugby academy, who earnt gold medals at the AoC Sport National Championships, beating out tough competition from six other talented teams.
Curriculum Manager for Sport and Esport, Danny Lee shared: “We are tremendously proud of our talented student-athletes, whose dedication is clear both on and off the field. We have had an incredible year for our sports academies, and there’s plenty of reason to celebrate.
“A special thank you to our coaches, who work tirelessly in pursuit of outstanding achievement. They really do keep everything moving and inspire our learners.”
Other award winners included Volunteer of the Year, Olivia Watkins, and rising volleyball star Finn Chalkley-Beales, who took home the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) Athlete of the Year award.
Dan Jackson, Elite Sport Manager, also reflected on the evening, saying: “It’s been a remarkable year for both staff and students. The commitment of our learners and support of our staff have led to a truly fantastic year. Congratulations to all our winners and nominees for all their hard work.”
For the big award of the evening, it was Sim Racing star Joseph Redfern who scooped Sports Personality of the Year, on the heels of his National Championship winning display at the 2025 Student Racing League (SRL) LAN Finals. Joseph delivered an outstanding performance, winning his final race by a staggering 8.59 seconds, and earning an all-expenses-paid opportunity to visit the USA as part of the William’s Racing Prodigy Week.
