Staff, students and supporters of Scottish Student Sport came together on Wednesday evening for the annual SSS Awards, supported by Technogym.
Held in the University of Aberdeen’s magnificent Elphinstone Hall, the awards up for grabs celebrated everyone from our top performing athletes and clubs, through to our hard working volunteers and the coaches delivering success on the student stage.
Thank you to everyone who attended – in particular our winners and shortlisted nominees for being part of an incredible night.
Looking for photos from the night? They can be downloaded here. All credit to Murdo Macgillivray/SSS.
The winners were as follows:
Coach of the Year: Bradley Hay (University of Stirling, Swimming)
Also shortlisted: Neil Allan (University of Edinburgh, Hockey) & Ian Muir (University of St Andrews, Golf)
As High Performance Swim Coach at the University of Stirling, Bradley is tasked with supporting some of the country’s top swimmers. 2024/25 has been another brilliant year for the programme.
From having eight students selected for the 2024 Paris Olympics – returning with three medals – athletes have also appeared at World Championships, with Bradley set to be part of the GB coaching staff in Singapore this summer.
Domestically, Stirling athletes won 22 medals at this year’s British Championships and the women’s squad (nominated for Team of the Year) topped the medal table at BUCS Long Course, beating Loughbourgh to the title for the first time.
Playwaze Club of the Year: Glasgow University Trampoline Club
Also shortlisted: University of Strathclyde Netball & University of St Andrews Football
It’s been a year of incredible growth at the club with 43% of members new in 24/25. Notably, their new Outreach Programme has built strong links with Govan High School, giving the club a prominent position in the community.
After losing the support of external coaching staff, the club have become self-sufficient by training six coaches at Level 1-3, including additional courses to support students with additional needs.
In competitive action, the club were Scotland’s most successful at BUCS level (2 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze) while 55 medals were won at Scottish-based competitions.
Team of the Year: St Andrews Women’s Football 1’s
Also shortlisted: University of Stirling Women’s Swimming & University of Edinburgh Men’s Hockey 1’s
It’s been a history making year for this side who became BUCS National Champions for the first time ever, beating Nottingham 2-1 in the final. This came off the back of a resounding semi-final win over reigning champions Loughborough – their first defeat in 15 months.
Another strong season in BUCS Premier North saw them finish 3rd – just 4 points from the title.
Back on Scottish soil, the team became the first ever to win our #SheCanSheWill Cup for the fourth consecutive year.
Male Athlete of the Year: Archie Goodburn (University of Edinburgh, Swimming)
Also shortlisted: Ben Sandilands (SRUC, Athletics) & Ben Muncaster (Heriot-Watt University, Rugby)
After missing out on selection for Paris 2024 by just 0.56s, Archie went to investigate the seizures he’d began experiencing in training. It turned out he had an inoperable and incurable form of progressive brain cancer.
Determined not to be held back, Archie returned to the pool and in February successfully defended his BUCS Long Course 50m breaststroke title. Two months later he made national headlines after winning silver in the same event at the British Championships.
Alongside his success in the pool, Archie qualified for the National Finals of the IchemE Young Engineers Award. He continues to represent the very best of sport; a true inspiration in the community.
Female Athlete of the Year: Angharad Evans (University of Stirling, Swimming)
Also shortlisted: Faye Rogers (University of Aberdeen, Swimming) & Aleksandra Kalucka (University of Edinburgh, Climbing)
University of Stirling swimmer Angharad has had an exceptional year, starting at Paris 2024 where she reached the 100m Breaststroke final, finishing 6th.
Over the course of the year she has broken both the British short and long course records in that event, the latter at the National Championships where she took home two gold medals.
Angharad has shone for Stirling at BUCS level, winning five gold and two silver medals across both events and has secured her place at the World Championships later this year.
Volunteer of the Year: Ruby McDonald (Fife College)
Also shortlisted: Grace Stirling (University of Stirling) & Campbell Scott (University of Aberdeen)
18 year old Ruby has made waves since starting at Fife College last August, becoming an integral part of the college community.
Ruby uses her lived experience of having a learning disability and being a carer to be a powerful advocate for sport and active health. While staying active herself, she volunteers as a coach in primary schools, and with football and para-football clubs to help a diverse range of young people access and enjoy sport.
Ruby’s passion and determination has seen her recognised by a wide number of awards, most notably when she was named Scotland’s Unsung Hero as part of the 2024 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards.
Dr Rob Macpherson Award: Sandy Bond (Scottish Student Cycling)
Also shortlisted: Dave Lee (SSS Media Team) & Marissa Jacobs (Scottish Student Volleyball
Sandy has had another standout year as the SSS Cycling Chair. Leading a largely new group of volunteers to deliver a full calendar of cycling events across the country, supporting 134 student cyclists to compete this year a 30% increase from 23/24 with one event still remaining.
Sandy is also always on the front foot in exploring ways to get more students into cycling with work specifically on growing women & girls participation opportunities.
He has done all this whilst on his semester abroad studying Russian in Kazakhstan, going over and above to ensure the continued success of the SSS Cycling offer.
Sandy embodies all of the SSS values and has been a standout volunteer and the driving force behind SSS Cycling.
Honorary President’s Medal: Ross Campbell (Heriot-Watt University) & Cathy Gallagher (University of Stirling)
Ross Campbell has over 20 years of dedicated service to student sport at Heriot-Watt University, beginning as Sports Union President (2005/6) and he has held the role of Executive Director of Oriam since 2017.
In 2010 he led a transformative review of the Sports Union, introducing a club structure and governance model that remains in place today. He was later instrumental in the creation and continued development of Oriam – one of Scotland’s top sporting facilities.
Ross has been a tireless advocate of student sport and is renowned across the sector for his inspirational attitude, strategic thinking, and lifelong dedication to enhancing opportunities in student sport.
Cathy Gallagher is not only an exceptional Director of Sport, she is a remarkable person who has dealt with adversity in the past 12 months in the way that is uniquely characteristic of her positive and resilient nature.
With over 25 years of experience, Cathy has consistently demonstrated a passion for sport as a vehicle for positive change – supporting student athletes, enhancing community engagement, and championing inclusion across all levels of participation.
As a close friend to so many, the news that Cathy had been diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2024 came as a great shock. Despite the adversity and uncertainty that Cathy faced at the time, she remained resolute, determined, and a pillar of strength. Having now returned to full duties, she continues to make an impact and set standards for others to follow.
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