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03 June 2019 | Story Ruan Bruwer | Photo Charl Devenish
Student Games
Four students from the University of the Free State were chosen for the South African Student team to the World Student Games in July 2019. They are from the left: Heinrich Willemse (tennis), Yolandi Stander (athletics), Ruben Kruger (tennis) and Tyler Beling (athletics).
Exactly half of the South African student tennis team to the World Student Games (3 to 14 July 2019 in Italy), together with one of the coaches and the team manager, hails from the University of the Free State (UFS).

Tennis players off to the games

The Kovsie tennis club has been richly rewarded for their dominance at student level when the national student team was chosen. They have won the University Sport South Africa (USSA) championship every year since 2010.

Ruben Kruger and Heinrich Willemse are two of the four team members, and UFS coach Marnus Kleinhans is one of the two coaches of the student team. Janine de Kock, team manager of the UFS, will also fulfil this role in the student team. 

Willemse and Kruger are currently the university’s number one and two players respectively and were members of the UFS team at last year’s USSA competition.

Two athletes also made the team. Tyler Beling will compete in the half-marathon and Yolandi Stander in the discus. They both won gold medals at the USSA championships in April 2019. Emmarie Fouché from KovsieSport is one of the athletics coaches. 

Tenoff to couch SA men’s team

Godfrey Tenoff, a sports manager at KovsieSport and head coach of the UFS men’s and female soccer teams, will coach the SA Students men’s team.

Two members of the swimming team are part of Kovsie Aquatics. Eben Vorster, who is studying overseas, swims for the UFS club when he is in South Africa. Marco Markgraaff, coach of the club, will act as the head coach of the SA student swimmers.

News Archive

Rugby players still a Kovsie pride
2015-06-23

Niel Marais, Elandré Huggett, Gerhard Olivier and Niell Jordaan.
Photo: Mlungisi Louw (Netwerk24) 

Glory after glory, Kovsie rugby players seem to be making waves on- and off-campus in the rugby world. Four players, who formed part of this year’s formidable Shimlas squad, wore their Cheetahs jerseys in their debut cap for the Free State team in this year’s Super Rugby tournament. Niel Marais, Niell Jordaan, Elandré Huggett, and Gerhard Olivier were hand-picked to join the squad by the same man who lead Shimlas on their unbeaten streak, Franco Smith. Smith was recently announced as the Cheetahs’ new coach.

In their debut game (6 June 2015) against the Sydney-based Waratahs, Marais, Jordaan, Huggett, and Olivier had the privilege of playing alongside Tienie Burger and Henco Venter, who are also Shimlas teammates. Burger and Venter are not new to the team. Burger has been with the team since 2014 and Venter since 2013.

The young men appeared again in the game against the Blue Bulls in the final round of Super Rugby on 13 June 2015. Marais and Jordaan were part of the starting line, and were joined by Venter. It was unfortunate that the home-ground advantage did not work in the favour of the Bulls, as the team strode away with their first victory for the tournament, leaving Smith a very blissful coach.

We congratulate Tienie Burger on signing a professional contract with the Cheetahs.

 

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