Swimming scholar Matthew Ward and pentathlete James Hulme cap breakthrough seasons with Rengen Athlete of the Month awards
Aspiring LA 2028 Olympians Matthew Ward and James Hulme are the latest winners of the Team Bath Rengen Athlete of the Month Award after capping breakthrough seasons with standout performances.
Sports Performance student Hulme, part of the Pentathlon GB squad based at the University of Bath, took the honours for August after placing a fantastic fourth in the men’s final at his first senior UIPM Pentathlon World Championships in Lithuania.
That came at the end of a season which saw the Team Bath Breakthrough Programme student-athlete win bronze at the European Junior Championships and place fifth at the World Junior Championships.
Swimmer Ward, who studies Integrated Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, was the July winner after claiming four gold medals – all in personal best time – at the 2025 Aquatics GB Next Gen Championships in Sheffield.
The Bill Whiteley Sporting Scholar, coached by David McNulty, had previously won 200m individual medley silver behind Duncan Scott at April’s Aquatics GB Swimming Championships and returned from the European Aquatics U23 Swimming Championships in Italy with silver and bronze.
Both combine study and training at the University, with Hulme and Ward receiving their awards plus a £50 voucher from Director of Sport Stephen Baddeley on their return to the Team Bath Sports Training Village for the start of a new season.
The Athlete of the Month award celebrates the achievements, commitment and dedication of student-athletes on the Breakthrough Programme, which provides bespoke support designed to help student-athletes maximise their academic and sporting potential.
Initial applications for the 2025-26 academic year have now closed but a second phase will reopen on Friday 29th November. Visit www.teambath.com/breakthrough-programme for more information.
Both the award and the Breakthrough Programme are supported by Team Bath partners Rengen, whose headquarters are based in Argyle Street in Bath city centre. They have extensive experience in the development of boutique purpose-built student accommodation, residential accommodation and commercial units. Find out more by visiting rengendevelopments.com and rengenlettings.com.
