
USC student athlete Taj Jones of Palmwoods has won USC’s first ever cycling medal at a UniSport Nationals Division 1 carnival.
Taj finished third in the criterium against strong competition at Nerang on the Gold Coast last Thursday as part of the major multi-sport event for university students from across Australia.
The Pro Racing Sunshine Coast cyclist, who is enrolled in USC’s Tertiary Preparation Pathway through the University’s High Performance Student Athlete (HPSA) program, was the first home of USC’s six cyclists in the event.
Golfer Katie Pryce-Jones of Maroochydore claimed a bronze medal as well after scoring rounds of 95, 97, 94 and 88 over four days of competition to finish with a total score of 374.
Katie is also involved in USC’s HPSA program and is studying a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours).
USC Sports Coordinator Gary Moore congratulated Katie and Taj on their respective successes.
He said 114 USC student athletes competed across 12 sports at the fierce-but-friendly carnival involving university students from across Australia from 28 September to 3 October.
“As well as cycling and golf, USC student athletes also competed in badminton, basketball, beach volleyball, cheer & dance, futsal, handball, lawn bowls, rowing, touch and volleyball,” he said.
Mr Moore said USC athletes all performed well, with competitors in the beach volleyball mixed 4s and handball just missing out on medals.