History-making Bath Rugby player among high-performing student-athletes to join University of Bath Sporting Scholarships ranks

08 December 2020

Bath Rugby and Team Bath Netball players, aspiring Olympians and international medallists are among 16 high-performing University of Bath student-athletes selected to receive scholarship support on both their sporting and academic journeys.

The new intake of sporting scholars for 2020-21, who compete across nine different sports and study across 11 diverse courses, each receive a cash award that runs over the period of their course and helps them meet the demands of training, competing and studying at a high level.

Scholarships are supported by alumni, friends and partners of the University, who are passionate about giving talented young people the opportunity to benefit from Bath’s sporting and academic environment. Previous recipients include Olympic medallists Michael Jamieson (swimming), Samantha Murray (modern pentathlon) and Dominic Parsons (skeleton).

Among this year’s intake are two freshers who have already made their full top-flight debuts for Bath Rugby, as well as represent England U18s. Natural Sciences student Ethan Staddon – a Santander Scholar – made history last weekend when he became Bath’s youngest-ever Premiership Rugby debutant, aged 18, while exciting fly-half Orlando Bailey made his first senior start in September. He is studying International Development with Economics and supported by a Matrix Scholarship.

Receiving an Ivor Powell Scholarship this year, honouring the legendary Team Bath football coach, is Sports Performance student Vicki McCabe, who is a member of the Great Britain Hockey Women’s Elite Development Programme working towards the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games. She already has 67 international caps across various age groups having first represented her country aged 14.

Another talented hockey player, Computer Science & Mathematics fresher Dylan Holland, has been awarded a Bill Whiteley Scholarship. He has represented England at U16 and U18 level, scoring a winner against Germany with just 30 seconds left on the clock for the latter.

Hannah Passmore, who has been named in the Team Bath Netball Superleague squad for a third successive year, will benefit from a Buchan Jones Scholarship after starting a Criminology degree.

Fellow netballer Steph Marsden, a Sports Management & Coaching student who represented England U21s at the Indoor Netball World Cup in South Africa last year, has been awarded a Santander Scholarship.

(From left, top row) Orlando Bailey, Hannah Passmore, Luke Turley, Vicki McCabe, Ben Jones, Olivia Green; (middle) Leah Crisp, Dylan Holland, Isobel Ives, Tom Hunt; (bottom) Ethan Staddon, Emma Whitaker, William Ryley, Steph Marsden, Remi Adebiyi and Ellie Burgess – the University of Bath’s new Sporting Scholars for 2020-21

Three swimmers are among this year’s scholars. William Ryley, who has started a Management Masters course after graduating in Chemistry this summer, has been awarded a Goldsmith Scholarship as he pursues his ambition of representing GB at the 2021 World University Games and Wales at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

He is also targeting a podium place at the 2021 British Championships and Tokyo Olympic Trials, as is Sports Performance student Luke Turley. Like Ryley, he is no stranger to representing the Blue & Gold at BUCS competition and has won several medals for Bath in recent years.

Turley is the recipient of a Santander Scholarship, as is Economics and Mathematics fresher Leah Crisp – a double national freestyle champion who has joined the elite British Swimming National Centre Bath squad this summer.

Another Santander Scholar at home in the London 2012 Legacy Pool is Sports Performance fresher Tom Hunt, a British Swimming Water Polo Male Athlete of the Year 2019 nominee who has represented Great Britain and England at U19 level and played semi-professionally in Germany. He is hoping to compete at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Fellow Sports Performance first-year student Ellie Burgess, one of the country’s most promising sprint canoeists, has been awarded a Thompson Education Trust Scholarship. The U23 National Championships K2 500m bronze-medallist is targeting selection for the European and World Championships in 2021.

Receiving scholarship support this year as they combine modern pentathlon and education at the home of Pentathlon GB’s National Training Centre are aspiring Olympians Olivia Green and Emma Whitaker.

Sports Performance student Whitaker, who has been awarded a Santander Scholarship, has previously won team bronze at the European U19 Championships and is aiming to make the finals at the World and European Junior Championships in 2021.

Alumni Fund Scholar Green, who studies Sport & Exercise Science, has achieved top-five finishes in World and European Junior Championships and is keen to make her individual Senior World Cup debut in 2021 having placed fifth in her first senior relay.

Also receiving an Alumni Fund Scholarship is tennis ace Ben Jones, a Chemistry graduate who is now taking a MSc in Management. Among his many highlights so far during his time at Bath are successive silver medals with GB at the BNP Master’U international team tournament in France.

Completing this year’s intake of new scholars are two track-and-field athletes. Mathematical Sciences student Remi Adebiyi, a former U17 and U20 English 1,500m champion who reached the 3,000m steeplechase final for GB at the 2019 European U20 Championships, has received a Trendell Scholarship.

Isobel Ives, a Civil Engineering Masters student and Santander Scholar, has won a host of 800m medals for Bath in indoor and outdoor BUCS competition during the past four years, as well as both the England Athletics Senior and U23 Championships plus the Loughborough International while representing the British Universities team. She is hoping to cap her final year of study with more BUCS medals and a new 800m PB in 2021.

Applications for the 2021-22 academic year are now being taken from current and prospective University of Bath students. Click here to find out more.

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