Falcons swoop up national gold

FEDERATION University is home some of Australia’s best women’s university basketball and netball teams.

At the recent UniSport Nationals in Perth, the Falcons won division two gold in both the basketball and netball competitions.

Netball team captain Jordy McCarthy said she was proud to lead her group, which played two full games on each of the five days of action.

“It was intense, good quality netball, and the competition was incredible across the board, so the girls did so well to stick at it and work really hard the whole time,” she said.

“It’s such a good experience to represent the uni, and to do it at that national level against all other unis across Australia.

“There’s a big level of pride, and where we come from, with regional campuses in Ballarat and Gippsland, we play a country style of netball across the board.

“Everyone in the team plays with that same grunt and hard work ethic to go out there, give it our best, and win.”

In her final year of study, McCarthy said she was pleased to bring home the gold, which marks the first national netball win FedUni has ever had.

Basketball captain Layla Iglesias said taking the trip Western Australia, and having the opportunity to represent the university, was a memorable experience for the whole squad.

“As a team we only had six players, so it was hard work to play eight games, but we still won five of those games,” she said.

“The competition was great. As a team we bonded really quickly and played well together on court. To win the gold was even more rewarding, as all the other teams had more players than us.

“To get the job done was great for everyone.”