After five days of the highest level of university hockey, Wits University did enough to return to their campus with a trophy and a promotion.
On 5 July, the Wits’ men’s hockey team won the 2019 University Sports of South Africa (USSA) tournament while the women’s team were promoted to the A-division after winning the B-division. Coaches Ricky West (men’s) and Piete Coetzee (women’s) were ecstatic with the team’s performances and achievements. The men’s side beat Stellenbosch University in penalties to win the title.
West, who has been leading the team for the last four years, reflected on their most recent achievement. “We started in the B-division four years ago and won that in the first year. To get a USSA A-division win within such a short period is a testament to the qualities of players and the quality of the programme we have here at Wits.”
He went on to say that the team went into the tournament with the goal of ensuring it’s impossible for other teams to score against them. The plan worked perfectly as they only conceded two goals, one in the group stages and the last in the final.
One of the Wits hockey players who stood out was Chad Futcher. He was named the player of the tournament as well as top goal scorer of the tournament. Futcher went into the tournament with a heavy heart but ultimately pushed himself to perform at the highest level.
Futcher explained, “It was a big surprise to be named the most valuable player and top goal scorer but it really meant so much to me because of the circumstances leading up to the tournament. My dad passed away the morning we had to leave for the tour, so I stayed to handle all that came with it. But later that day, I decided to leave for the tour because he would’ve wanted me to go and not let the team down either.”
West applauded both teams for being able to reach the top in their respective tournaments. “I am incredibly proud of the group of players that we have. We got some youngsters in, so the future is looking good too,” he said.
Wits will now turn their attention to the league as they will be looking to retain their title. Last year they won the league for the first time in their 50-year history and will look to defend it with all they have.
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