Cape Peninsula University of Technology

FNB CPUT will go head-to-head with FNB WSU in the first clash of the 2020 Varsity Shield competition this Friday.

All roads lead to CPUT this weekend where five tertiary institutions from across the Western Cape will compete in the final games of the Intervarsity tournament.

CPUT teams played well in the recent University Sports South Africa (USSA) Games with the netball team being crowned this year’s champions for the B Division and the rugby boys finishing third.

An education lecturer will be flying the CPUT flag high during the World University Games in Italy.

A CPUT student says playing in the national Telkom Netball League is the biggest blessing and puts her in good stead to be selected into the senior national team.

“I am absolutely humbled and honoured. It's the biggest blessing and privilege, firstly to represent my province in a tournament where the best in the country compete against each other whist getting the opportunity to be recognised or possibly selected into the national team,” says Shannen Bartlett, a first-year Education student.  

The Western Cape’s Southern Stings’ Centre started playing netball from a tender age when she was in Grade 2 at Hugo Rust Primary. She started off as a Goal Attack. “When you're young you try out a lot of things including netball, and I fell in love with the fact that it's a team sport.”

Since then Shannen has never looked back.

She went for trials for the first time for the Stings team in 2017 and made the team in the same year. “I was selected for Centre and Wing Attack,” she recalls. “However, I mostly play Centre.”

Her first big milestone was being selected as one of the top 10 players at a SA Schools Championship tournament at the age of 13.

The second milestone was her selection into the u/18 SA team, followed by making it into the Southern Stings team in 2017.

She says that her decision to study at CPUT was influenced by the university’s reputation as the biggest producer of teachers in the province and the way it motivates students to participate in sport.

“CPUT is extremely diverse; I've already gained valuable interpersonal relationships,” adds Shennan. “CPUT rocks for me, because they are extremely accommodative with regards to my netball, which I highly appreciate!”

She predicts that South Africa will win the upcoming Vitality Netball Word Cup in Liverpool for the first time ever. “They're strong, in it to win it, and with the whole of South Africa backing them, there's no way they will let this one slip!” 

Ever wondered how a Springbok captain juggles the busy schedule of international rugby with the demanding world of university studies?