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15 September 2021 | Story Jóhann Thormählen | Photo Charl Devenish
The University of the Free State (UFS) netball team was honoured by UFS management at a special celebration. The side won a fourth Varsity Netball title and the UFS has now been champion in 2013, 2014, 2018 and 2021.

Set goals for yourself, commit to it, and give everything to achieve them.

According to Prof Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Free State (UFS), this is what the UFS netball team did and why it is an example for the Kovsie community.

He celebrated the team’s achievement of winning Varsity Netball for a record fourth time and extending the run of the UFS as the most successful team in the tournament.

The Kovsies convincingly beat Maties 55-39 in the final to be crowned champions. It was the biggest victory margin in a final, and they did it after losing to Maties (46-54) in the first round.

Prof Petersen and his management group honoured Burta de Kock, the UFS Head Coach, and her team during a special celebration on 13 September 2021.

Working as an outfit

He said the side’s determination is a lesson to others.

“Once you have decided that these are my objectives and you commit yourself to achieving them, that is all you focus on.”

“It will always be possible if you put everything in and you showed it. Thank you for doing this.”

He praised the team for building the UFS brand. 

“You really work as an outfit. What I saw of the players was a right attitude when they play the game.”

Everything made easy

Sikholiwe (Sne) Mdletshe, the UFS captain, thanked her team’s management, the UFS, and its lecturers.

“We really want to thank the university for putting so much into us. It gives us a lot of resources.

“Some tests had to be written while we were in the bubble and our lecturers made that easy for us.”

She said the players never take the effort for granted. “The UFS makes everything easy to go out there and play netball – the sport we have been playing since we were little kids.”

DB Prinsloo, Director of KovsieSport, is immensely proud of the team.

“We even lost one of our best players in the first match, Chanel Vrey, due to injury. We have to take off our hats to the Kovsie netball team.”


News Archive

Wayde van Niekerk conquers Stockholm
2014-06-05

Wherever Kovsie athlete Wayde van Niekerk goes, a trophy seems to follow. This time, Van Niekerk vanquished the rest of the track in Stockholm, Sweden. He won the 200 m for men at the Sollentuna Grand Prix athletics meeting in a time of 20.53 seconds.

This victory closely follows Van Niekerk’s smashing the record in the men's 400m sprint. A record that went unbeaten for 15 years. He re-wrote this piece of history while competing at the Diamond League in New York. Van Niekerk now sets the new SA record at 44.38 seconds. He placed second over-all in the New York race.

In the past six months alone, he has already featured in the SA Student Championships in the 200 m, U/23 National Championships and the Senior Men's National 400 m Championships. He has also participated in the World Junior Championship in Canada and the World Championships in Russia.

At this stage, Van Niekerk is looking forward to the SA National Finals later this year and hopes to break the SA record – which forms part of his journey to Brazil in 2016.

"No success story is easy. One has to keep pushing harder and be the best they can be on and off the track. Never give up, because you are an inspiration," he encourages young athletes.

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