Griffith celebrates rugby sevens success

Kiri Lingman, Charlotte Kennington and Kahli Henwood received awards at the Griffith Sevens Celebration Night which was also attended by Shannon Parry.
Kiri Lingman, Charlotte Kennington and Kahli Henwood received awards at the Griffith Sevens Celebration Night which was also attended by Shannon Parry.

Laura Waldie has received the Griffith Sports College Award for Most Outstanding Griffith Student Player in the 2108 AON Rugby Uni 7s Series.

The Bachelor of Oral Health Dental Science student was also named Players’ Player of the Series at an awards ceremony held at Griffith’s Gold Coast campus.

Laura, who was among 10 Griffith students to feature during the series, had a stellar season across the five weekends of tournament competition.

Griffith clinched the series in the final round in Adelaide with a third successive tournament win.

Wallaroo and Aussie 7s star and Bachelor of Education graduate Shannon Parry attended the ceremony for the inaugural presentation of the Shannon Parry Award to acknowledge the Most Outstanding Player which went to all-action player, Charlotte Kennington.

The Leadership Award was presented to team captain and Bachelor of Public Relations and Communication student Kiri Lingman (above), while Bachelor of Education student Kahli Henwood, who burst on to the sevens scene this year, received the Rookie of the Year Award (below).

“An award named after Shannon Parry sets the standard very high for any recipient and Charlotte certainly reached those heights with some magnificent performances during the series,” Director of the Griffith Sports College, Duncan Free OAM, said.

“Laura’s commitment both to her studies and her sporting endeavours is remarkable. She maintained the highest of standards on both fronts throughout the series. She is a worthy recipient of the first Griffith Sports College Award.”

Duncan Free OAM paid tribute to the work of players and coaching staff in taking out a highly-competitive national title.

“They have been great ambassadors not only for Griffith University but also for the sport of rugby sevens.”