Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items

Shimlas set to go head-to-head with Ikeys in the Varsity Cup final

19 April 2024 | Story Anthony Mthembu | Photo Francois van Vuuren

Varsity Cup Shimlas — The FNB UFS Shimlas are confident to emerge victorious as they prepare to go against the FNB UCT Ikeys in FNB Varsity Cup final.

The FNB UFS Shimlas are confident of securing a win in the 2024 FNB Varsity Cup final as they prepare to take on the FNB UCT Ikeys at the University of the Free State (UFS) Shimla Park in Bloemfontein on 22 April 2024 at 19:00.

This marks the first time since 2015 that the final is being hosted at Shimla Park. As such, the Shimlas hope to use this home ground advantage to emerge victorious.

Prof Francis Petersen, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the UFS, says he commends each player for their dedication, resilience, and sportsmanship throughout the season. “I will be cheering on the team – their efforts and commitment have already made us proud, and we look forward to supporting them on home ground. We are also immensely grateful to the coaching team for their support to the Shimlas. Good luck to the team, and know that every fellow Kovsie is behind you,” says Prof Petersen.

The Shimlas advanced to the final after a 38-24 win over the FNB Maties in the semi-finals held at the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch on 15 April 2024. According to André Tredoux, Head Coach of the FNB UFS Shimlas, this is a tremendous win for the team, as the FNB Maties have only lost ten times in the history of the FNB Varsity Cup when playing at home. In addition, he credits Assistant Coaches Melusi Mthethwa and Tiaan Liebenberg’s hard work for the success of the team up to this point.

The mindset of the UFS Shimlas heading into the final

According to Tredoux, the team assumes a new approach and mindset in preparation for each game. In the semi-finals, the team adopted the motto ‘breathe to succeed’, which helped align the focus and attitude of the team in the game. However, as the final approaches, he indicates that, “The big thing going into a final is to stick to our processes with our intensity, and then also for the medical team and the strength and conditioning team to get the team healthy”.

In addition, Tredoux encourages the UFS community to show up in their numbers to support the FNB UFS Shimlas. “The technical team will have a good plan and the players are ready to play with everything for the Cup. We have the firepower to do it with the support of the Kovsie students,” Tredoux expressed. He also highlights that those in attendance can expect a great atmosphere and some ‘awesome rugby’. This is because the FNB UFS Young Guns will also battle the FNB NWU Young Guns at Shimla Park on 22 April 2024 from 15:30.

Those interested in seeing any of this action can still purchase their tickets on the Varsity Cup website here.

News Archive

Postdoc student broadens the interpretation of being productive

2013-09-16

Abdon Atangana
13 September 2013

Postdoc student Abdon Atangana (27) in the Institute for Groundwater Studies (IGS) brings a new dimension to the word ‘productive’. Since the beginning of this year he has published 23 articles in accredited journals. He is also guest editor in two reputed scientific journals.

Atangana – originally from Cameroon – enrolled at the UFS in 2009, finishing his BSc Honours in Applied Mathematics in one year. By the end of 2010 he could add MSc in Applied Mathematics to his CV. If this was not an accomplishment enough in itself, he passed both degrees cum laude. In 2011 he tackled his PhD in Geohydrology and submitted his final thesis in January 2013 – being the youngest PhD graduate at the Winter Graduation.

Besides his impressive publishing success, an additional 28 of his papers are currently under review by international journals in Applied Mathematics.

Atangana’s accomplishments in the publishing arena are phenomenal. He is lead guest editor for the special issue on Theory, Methods, and Applications of Fractional Calculus in The Scientific World Journal. He is also guest editor for the special issue on Analytical and Numerical Approaches for Complicated Nonlinear Equations in Abstract and Applied Analysis.Furthermore, he has been appointed on the editorial board of New Trends in Mathematical Sciences and is a reviewer for nine international accredited journals in Applied Mathematics.

This extraordinary academic has already presented papers on international conferences in America, Turkey and Thailand as well.

Atangana is truly the embodiment of the UFS’ core value of inspiring excellence.

Back

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept