The University of Western Australia has awarded four recipients with sport bursaries as part of a long history of commitment to supporting athletes competing at the highest level.

The Sports Bursaries program provides the foundations to build a comprehensive support structure for elite and high performing student athletes, coaches and officials at UWA. The program has assisted a number of students across various sports, contributing to costs associated with equipment, professional development and competition.

The four bursaries include two UWA Sport Convocation Bursaries, WM Nunn Bursary and Indigenous Athlete Bursary.

The UWA Sport Convocation Bursary is awarded to the most outstanding elite student athlete at UWA amongst all the nominees. The bursary aims to keep in place a long-standing collaboration between the Convocation Council, the University and UWA Sport.

Keishin Ochi, one of the Convocation Bursary recipients, is currently studying a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) and recently won two gold medals in Judo at the 2024 Australian Judo National Championships on the Gold Coast.

UWA Sport’s commitment in supporting student athletes has allowed Keishin to thrive on the mat by creating flexibility in his study load to ensure success in all areas of his life.

Rylee Poole is the second recipient of the UWA Sport Convocation Bursary and is part of the Australian National Gymnastics Squad. Rylee is currently completing a Bachelor of Biomedical Science. The third-year student is ranked highly in the senior division with the top ranking in the State and fourth across the country.

The WM Nunn Bursary recipient is para-athlete Niamh MacAlasdair. Niamh is a first year student studying a Bachelor of Human Rights and Bachelor of Arts and a member of the UWA Athletics Club. A promising young athlete, Niamh made her Australian team debut at the 2023 Youth Commonwealth Games in Trinidad & Tobago. At the event, Niamh clinched the silver medal in T37 Long Jump.

The WM Nunn Bursary is open to all first-year students and is awarded in recognition of UWA student athlete Wally Marshall Nunn. WM Nunn achieved great success in sport at UWA and is the only student athlete to date to win four full blue awards, achieving his successes in the sports of athletics, rugby, swimming and rowing.

The Indigenous Athlete Bursary is open to all current Indigenous students at UWA. This bursary was founded in the 2016 pilot Sport Bursary program to recognise the achievements of Indigenous student-athletes attending UWA. This year’s recipient, Isla Mulligan is currently studying a Bachelor of Science, competed in the Australian U18 National team and is a key player in the UWA Torpedoes team.

UWA Sport would like to congratulate all the 2024 bursary recipients.

For more information on the Student Athlete Development Program and the Sports Bursary Program, please visit our website.