Student athletes selected in the UWA Maali team to compete in the 2026 UniSport Australia Nationals competition from 26 September – 2 October have been presented with their playing jerseys in a ceremony held at the Winthrop Hall on Thursday 24 September.

The teams were led in a Welcome to Country by Jayden Boundry, followed by welcome addresses from Vice Chancellor of the University of Western Australia, Professor Amit Chakma, and General Manager of UWA Sport, Jake Wilkins.

Maali athlete, Daniel Thomas, then shared the story of the black swan as told by Noongar Elder Neville Collard, which served as the inspiration for the Maali jersey design created by Aaron "Jungari" Sutton. The ceremony also featured addresses from UWA Sport Council President, Georgia Whittaker, and 2026 UWA Maali Nationals Captains, Jessica Bihler (Water Polo) and Thomas Varian (Ultimate), as well as a performance from the Maali Spirit, UWA’s inaugural POMS dance team.

The teams were then announced, with jerseys presented to the team captains, before proceeding outside to participate in a smoking ceremony.

UniSport Nationals is the flagship event of UniSport Australia, where over 40 universities from across the country go head-to-head in 30 different sports to be crowned national champions. The 2026 competition will be held in Perth, with UWA venues playing a hosting role, including Neil Donaldson Pavillion as the Nationals Headquarters.

This year, UWA has fielded over 420 athletes in 53 teams across 23 sports, making it one of the largest teams in the competition.

Congratulations and good luck to all students representing UWA Maali.

For more information about UniSport Nationals and fixtures, please visit the UniSport Australia website here.