UHI Announces 2024 Sporting Blues Winners: Celebrating Excellence in Sports

The University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) and Highlands and Islands Students’ Association (HISA) are delighted to announce the winners of the 2024 Sporting Blues. These prestigious awards celebrate the outstanding sporting achievements of UHI students and recognise those who have attained an exceptionally high standard of performance in their respective sport.

This year saw a record number of nominations, three times higher than any previous year, highlighting the tremendous efforts made to enhance sporting opportunities at UHI. Amanda Fleet, Sports Development Coordinator at HISA, received two national awards this year for transforming sporting engagement levels at UHI, which led to exponential growth in both membership and the number of sport clubs.

Sports Person of the Year was awarded to Taylor Kerr who has captained the UHI Golf Team this year. Taylor won a Full Blue award when the team won the Scottish University Championships in 2022 and this year, he has become the Scottish University Individual Golf Champion. He’ll be graduating this year in BA (Hons) Professional Golf at UHI North, West and Hebrides Dornoch campus.

Taylor said, “Winning Sports Person of the Year is an immense honour, reflecting not just my personal dedication but also my deep passion for UHI. It’s a privilege to represent an institution that supports and nurtures athletes. This recognition motivates me to continue pursuing my passion and to inspire others within the UHI community to reach their full potential.”

Team of the Year Award was awarded to the men’s shinty team who on their debut, won the Littlejohn Vase 2024. The team is made up of players from across the UHI partnership and is sponsored by Kishorn Port Ltd.

The following students received the Full Blue, awarded to athletes of outstanding ability judged by standards applicable to students’ different sports:

• Connor McLaren, a BSc (Hons) Sport and Fitness student at UHI Perth, and Kairn Brand, an HND Fitness, Health and Exercise student at UHI Perth, have earned caps for the Scotland national futsal team.
• Struan Hastie, an HNC Soft Tissue Therapy student at UHI Perth, won the 3000m Steeplechase at the 2023 Scottish Athletics Championship.
• Kirsten Taylor, an HNC Soft Tissue Therapy student at UHI Perth, placed 3rd at the International Blind Sports Association European (IBSA) Championships in Rotterdam, for judo, and 5th at the IBSA Egypt Grand Prix. She was also awarded the Winning Students 100 scholarship.
• Archie Graham, who completed the SVS – New Skills 1 course at UHI Perth, won the gold medal in the 25m butterfly in the Scottish Down Syndrome Swimming Championships.
• Alex Medley, who has achieved the Foundation Apprenticeship Financial Services (Schools) award at UHI Perth, was awarded Perth and Kinross Disability Sportsperson of the Year at the Perth and Kinross Sports Awards 2023 and won the Scottish Boccia Championships. Alex was recently selected for the Scottish National Development Squad and in July 2023 made his debut on the international stage, representing Scotland at the Para Sport Festival Teams and Pairs Championships.

The following students received the Half Blue, awarded to athletes for playing well above the average standard for a university team or who represent the university as an individual in national level competition:

• Parneet Kaur, a BA (Hons) Professional Golf student at UHI North, West and Hebrides Dornoch campus came 3rd in the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Premier North Division, was a quarterfinalist in BUCS Team Championships, and runner-up in the Scottish University Team Championships 2024.
• Orla Rooney, a BA (Hons) Professional Golf student at UHI North, West and Hebrides Dornoch campus secured 3 top 10 finishes in BUCS events, came in the top 5 at the Scottish University Strokeplay Championships and was a semi-finalist in the Scottish University Matchplay Championships.
• Fraser Russell, a BA (Hons) Professional Golf student at UHI North, West and Hebrides Dornoch campus tied 4th at the West of Scotland University Golf Championships and 8th at the individual Scottish University Golf Championships. His team was runner-up in the Scottish University Golf Championships.
• Zara Flett, a BA (Hons) Business and Management student at UHI Orkney, plays netball for the Netball Super League team, Strathclyde Sirens, and was also awarded the Winning Students 100 scholarship.
• Wiktoria Mucha, who has undertaken the Next Steps 2 Learning course at UHI Perth, competed at the British Open Wheelchair Fencing Championships.
• Matthew Doig, an HNC Social Sciences student at UHI Perth, won bronze (100m) and silver (5000m and 1500m) at the World Disability Frame Running Championships in Copenhagen.

Dr Iain Morrison, Dean of Student Experience said: “UHI is immensely proud to award Sporting Blues to our exceptional students, recognising their dedication, hard work, and outstanding achievements. These accolades in partnership with our hard-working students’ association celebrate the spirit, talent, and perseverance that our students bring to their sports and academic pursuits. We congratulate all recipients and look forward to their continued success and contribution to our university’s legacy of excellence.”