17 December 2025 2025 Season of Sport

Here's a roundup of the 2025 sports season enjoyed by students across many codes. Thanks to the many volunteers who helped make this season such a great success!

Netball

This year, we had four teams playing in the CNC competition grades at the netball centre. Our social league played on Monday evenings on campus and reached capacity, with 12 mixed teams competing. The season was hugely successful, with many players selected for representative teams. Thank you to Rachel Stead, who stepped in to coordinate netball this winter – your contribution ensured that everything ran smoothly throughout the season.

We celebrated Claire Lewis receiving Life Membership, which was well deserved after 25 years' service not only to the netball club but also to sport in general on campus. Claire has been instrumental in establishing the social netball league and in helping to arrange the netball club's 25-year celebration in 2024. A long-serving netball official, Claire has been a mentor and friend to many students over the years.

Over King's Birthday weekend, the Premier A team went to Sydney for a four-day trip. They played two games and won both. Firstly, winning against University of Technology Sydney; this was a very competitive game where they secured a narrow win. Secondly, they beat Parramatta. Whilst in Sydney, the team attended a Suncorp Game at Olympic Park and a training session at the University of Sydney facilities. As a bonus, the vivid light show was on at the same time, making it spectacular to see Sydney and all its lights. A very memorable trip that is now biannual.

The A and B teams both played in the Premier 1 competition. It was a challenging season, with several season-ending injuries affecting the teams. Both teams were well-coached and had strong management teams, so thank you to those volunteers for their hard work. Well done to both teams for reaching the top four and the semifinals.

The C team achieved good results during the season. Thanks to coach Hannah for her time, effort and commitment to player development.

The D team recorded strong results and made significant strides in their netball development each week. Thanks to Rachel, Lee and Julia for coaching this great group of young women.

The University and Tertiary Sport NZ (UTSNZ) tournament was held in Christchurch for the first time in 2025, which Lincoln assisted with hosting. A big thanks to those who helped make this happen: Rachel, Julia, Lee, Andrea, and Helen, who organised everything from umpires and bench officials to commentators and the selection of the tournament team. Lincoln played well, finishing second in their pool. A semifinal win against the University of Canterbury sent them into the final versus AUT, who went on to win – a well-deserved outcome. It was great to see so many supporters on the sideline for the final, holding yellow and blue balloons and banners!

Social Netball

This season was a huge success. Many thanks to Angus Thorne for helping run the league on Monday nights. The Blue team won the trophy, but this is really about the students connecting, being active, and having lots of fun. It was great to see the spirit in which the games were played and the demand to play grow year on year.

Basketball

This year, we had five teams competing in the CBA competitions due to increased female participation. We were able to enter a French Cup team again, which is awesome for basketball's growth. Thanks to Terracostosa Group for their continued sponsorship of basketball at Lincoln. This sponsorship allows the club to travel to tournaments and provide players with kit, including towels, drink bottles, shorts, tees and tracksuits.

The U23B team had a good season. Thanks to Rob for coaching the team and to Maurice for supporting it as well.

The U23A team included many players who also played in the Premier men's team. Congratulations on a successful season, winning the CBA U23 competition! This was recognised by winning the Supreme Blues Team of the Year trophy at the annual Blues and Golds Awards—a team with great culture and well-led by Maurice, Rob and Moses.

The Premier Men were led by coach Maurice this year. They made it to the final of the CBA Premier Men's competition, a feat we had not achieved in many years. Most of the team is back in 2026, so the future looks bright.

The Female French Cup (U23) supports player development and retention at Lincoln. Thanks to coach Dave, who did an excellent job of looking after this group, and to the Premier team, who trained with them during the week.

The Premier Women played strongly with a core group of players returning from last season. The team won the regular-season championship and won the Patron's Trophy. The women went on to reach the final of the Premier Women's Competition but, unfortunately, missed out on a win.

University Games 3x3 and 5x5

The 3x3 tournament was held in Dunedin with the road trip heaps of fun! The players gave it everything on the court; the women finished second, earning silver. The men lost in the semifinals but secured the bronze medal in the playoff. The 3x3 women's team then played in the FISU play-offs, hoping to qualify for the World Cup, which was held at the University of Auckland's new facilities. They had a tough weekend, finishing fifth. The 5x5 tournament was held at the University of Auckland facilities as well. A big group from Lincoln University travelled to the three-day competition. Both the men and women came home with bronze medals.

Rugby

The Rams had a new coaching and management group this year and the team enjoyed the new environment. They started the season with a trip to Kaikoura, where they beat a team from Blenheim. The team also travelled to Timaru to play the annual exchange matches against the University of Otago at the newly refurbished stadium. A win over Otago enabled Lincoln to retain the trophy. During the season, the team had mixed results, finishing seventh in the round robin. As they were in the top eight, the Rams faced a must-win game, which they narrowly won against New Brighton. Next, they made a strong effort to win over the University of Canterbury, advancing to the semifinals against Marist, which they ultimately lost. Well done to the many players who went on to representative teams.

The Ewes had a challenging season due to player availability, but the ladies played well and gave it their all. Many players were selected for representative teams, including Matatu, FPC, and NZU.

The Wethers had a strong season and made the semi-finals, where they faced a powerful Lyttleton team. As the feeder team to the Rams during the season, which had many injuries, the Wethers performance was hampered towards the business end of the season.

The Lambs secured the Colts Shield against Marist and held it until the end of the season. You can see the Shield on display in the gym's trophy cabinet. The game against Marist was close, with the scores tied at full time. Sadly, Marist secured the win in extra time. This was a fantastic group of young men who played with their hearts and performed well.

The Rigs competed in the Ellesmere colts competition for the first time, enjoying playing against the highly competitive country clubs. The team loved the challenge and finished the season with two good wins. They are looking forward to competing again next season.

The U85kg team entered the metro competition, struggled for numbers, but managed to get through the season, and those involved enjoyed playing. Competing in the National Knockout Competition, the team faced a strong Linwood team first up and secured a solid win. Next was a game against HSOB, which they won, and they ultimately won the overall 2025 competition.

Reunion/Club Day

We celebrated our annual club day in May, along with two reunions that brought together many past rugby alumni from Lincoln College/University. The Reunion began with a function at the Hornby Working Men's Club, featuring an auction that raised over $100,000 for the Club. The reunion groups visited campus for tours and to watch the day's matches with a huge guard of honour for our current players as they went out onto the fields. The dining hall at Lincoln hosted the after-match function, which featured plenty of banter between current and former players. A big thanks to Andy Owen and Andy Borland, who led the Reunion plans along with the Alumni office, who made it happen.

Volleyball

For the first time, we had a men's team travel to the UTSNZ championships. The team was mostly international students who loved the opportunity to compete and get to know each other through training. The team won the Spirit Award at the tournament, having been voted for by the other  teams.

Rowing

The UTSNZ championships were held in Twizel with a team of over 20 athletes from the University. The team won multiple medals, with the highlight a bronze in the Men's 8 - a first for us. Congratulations to Matt O'Meara, who was named in the NZU team.

Hockey

We entered a team in the annual five-a-side tournament in both the men's and women's competitions. The women made the semis while the men won the tournament! We really appreciate these players making themselves available to represent us, even though they usually play for other clubs during the regular season. Many went on to higher honours for New Zealand during the year.

Social sport

We continue to expand the social sport opportunities, thanks to the significant contribution from the Sport and Healthy Living Fund. The fund supports us in offering activities such as indoor football, table tennis, badminton, pickleball, self-defence, swimming, nature walks and bike rides. Other examples include a group of international students who were taught by Peter how to play touch. A few students cycled the Little River Rail Trail to Little River, while others took the opportunity to check out the Christchurch Adventure Park, using the chairlift and walking the trails. The walk to Washpen Falls was very popular, with many saying they would return, and we are keen to do it again in 2026. The swimming cards remain popular, especially among international students. During the warmer months, students make frequent use of the frisbee golf course, with catchers positioned along the perimeter of the sports field.

Volunteers!

Sport and recreation at Lincoln University would not be possible without the support of our volunteers, who contribute many hours of work. This includes students who come to us with great ideas and then turn them into reality! Volunteers take on lots of jobs, big and small, that, when they all come together, create special opportunities and memories for our students!