USSA News Tuks are at the forefront of sporting excellence 2017 is the year that the University of Pretoria lifted the standard of university sport to a whole new level winning six of the Varsity Competitions and nine of the USSA Tournaments. To top it all two UP-Tuks athletes became world champions in their respective Olympic sports codes which proves that the coaches, athletes and administrators are at the forefront of sporting excellence. UP-Tuks won the Varsity Netball Tournament last night beating Northwest Pukke 43-41 in the final played in the Rembrandt Hall. It was the first time that UP-Tuks won. Last year they lost out by one goal to beat the Pukke. Jenny van Dyk (head coach) made South African African netball history becoming the first to coach teams to win the Brutal Fruit Series, the Senior Provincial Tournament and the Varsity Netball Tournaments in the same year. A definite highlight was the TuksRugby’s beating Maties 28-21 in the Varsity Cup-final. It was the third time that “Striped-Up Team” won the tournament. Pote Human (coach) is a firm believer in developing a complete individual through rugby and feels that the academic programme, coupled with the pressure to win, creates an ideal training ground for real life to his players. The Tuks Young Guns is one of the University of Pretoria’s most successful sports teams ever. The under-20 rugby team won the Varsity Cup Young Guns Competition for a record fifth time in six years by beating Maties 42-37 in this year’s final. TuksHockey Women’s team completed a unique double winning the Varsity Tournament as well as the USSA Tournament. It is quite rare for a team in any sports code to win both university tournaments in the same year. Natalie Esteves (hockey captain) ascribe their success to playing for “The Stripe”. “Our motivation starts the moment when we put on the white jersey with ‘The Stripe’.” TuksAthletics is the overall winner of the Varsity Athletics Series for the second time. Of the 13 Varsity Athletics Meetings held in the last four years, Tuks has won 11. UP-Tuks ensured a third Varsity Football title by totally outplaying TUT to win 2-0 in the final played at TUT. This victory means UP-Tuks is, without doubt, the most successful team in the history of the Varsity Tournament, winning it three out of the five years. They were also victorious in 2013 and 2014. For Tisane Motaung it was a case of mission accomplished. "The University deserved the Varsity-trophy, and we delivered. That is what makes my job as a coach rewarding." The Assupol-Tuks Cricket Team dominated local club cricket by winning five out of six tournaments. The team is not only the national club champions but also the University Sports South Africa (USSA champions). Their only setback was losing to the Pukke in the Varsity-final. Tuks also won the rowing, swimming, cross country, chess, golf, women’s beach volleyball and judo USSA tournaments. Another definite highlight was Kirsten McCann winning the lightweight women’s single sculls at the World Rowing Championships in Florida. She is the first South African female rower to win a gold medal at a senior world championship. Luvo Manyonga became the first male athlete of TuksAthletics to win a world title when he won the long jump in London. His coach, Neil Cornelius, also made local athletics history because being only 29 years old means that he is the youngest South African coach to have coached a world champion. Posted by Wilhelm de Swardt (TuksSport Media Liaison) on 18 Oct, 2017. Source: