The University of South Australia has finished second in the 2020 SA Challenge Intervarsity Tournament after winning two shields – Badminton and Wheelchair Basketball – in the multi-sport competition.
It was the third consecutive year that UniSA won the Badminton competition and this win was particularly impressive with the four UniSA teams placing first, second, third and fourth out of the eight teams!
For the first time in 2020, Wheelchair Basketball was included in the SA Challenge and UniSA were the inaugural winners, defeating Flinders Uni in extra time after a thrilling game.
For the overall SA Challenge Cup, UniSA finished four points behind winners the University of Adelaide (25 points – 21 points), while Flinders University finished third on 18 points. Torrens University also participated for the first time and are looking forward to an increased involvement next year.
After online Strava and Esports tournaments were held in May and June, nine face-to-face events were held between August and October – Badminton, Lacrosse, Ultimate, Basketball, Netball, Tennis, Volleyball, Wheelchair Basketball (inaugural competition which will continue in future years) and T20 Cricket.
There was also a standalone Touch Football intervarsity tournament which didn’t count towards the overall results but will be included as an official SA Challenge competition next year.
A total of 176 students represented Team UniSA in SA Challenge this year – the most participants overall – and UniSA entered multiple teams in the Badminton, Lacrosse and Volleyball competitions, while some students from Mt Gambier and Whyalla campuses and UniSA Online represented UniSA for the first time.
The UniSport Australia endorsed event was delivered according to the COVID-Safe Plan to ensure the health and safety of all students.
In 2021, the SA Challenge tournament will commence in April, with registrations opening in February. Students are encouraged to keep an eye on our website for details.