​​​​​Cyclist Frankie du Toit, a first-year BA Sport Science student, and hockey player Keenan Horne, a postgraduate student in the Faculty of Law, were named Maties Sport's Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year for 2017 at the annual Maties Sport Awards on Thursday 19 October.

Due to sporting commitments, neither of them were at the event to receive their awards. Du Toit, the reigning SA U/23 cross-country champion, is participating in the Cape Pioneer Trek, a MTB stage race from Mossel Bay to Oudtshoorn, while Horne is a member of the SA Men's hockey team currently competing in the African Hockey Cup of Nations in Egypt.

Dyan Buis, who won two gold medals at the 2017 World Para Athletics Champs in London, and Anruné Liebenberg, the winner of two silver medals at the same event, were named Parasport Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year. Their coach, Dr Suzanne Ferreira, was named coach of the year for individual sport.

The Steinhoff Maties Rugby team – winner of the 2017 USSA tournament, WP Grand Challenge and WP President's Cup and runner-up in the 2017 Varsity Cup competition – is the team of the year, and the team's coach, Hawies Fourie, is the Coach of the Year for team sports.

Maties Cycling Club was announced as the Club of the Year. The club has almost doubled its club membership over the past two years. They are the reigning USSA champions and the women also won the Varsity Sport MTB competition. They organise regular club group rides to encourage the community to become involved but also to provide safety in numbers for female cyclists.

Sport manager Candice Appollis-Williams is over the moon.

“I must really give the credit to the club chairperson Nicola Giliomee, the committee and the Maties Sport High Performance (HP) Unit for all their support. It really is a team effort."

Giliomee was named the Student Administrator of the Year for the second year in a row.

A total of 42 students were awarded full colours which meant they represented South Africa at international level, while 61 students were awarded half colours. These are students who were selected for provincial teams.

The guest speaker on the evening, Blitzboks captain Philip Snyman, saluted the student-athletes.

“Sport is about inspiring others; it's about crossing cultural boundaries. You guys are the hope for millions of people out there," he said.

Prof Wim de Villiers, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of Stellenbosch University (SU), praised the student-athletes.

“I believe that at some or other stage, every student-athlete here made the very deliberate decision to face the challenge of combining sport and studies head on. I know it isn't easy. I realise that you face unique challenges. While other students are still in bed, you are in the gymnasium. While other students are using weekends to catch up on work or sleep or with friends, you are travelling to different parts of the country for your next match or playing in a league game. While other students sit in the stands (possibly with a beer in the hand), you are feeling the pressure on the field. Sometimes, you might even regret that very deliberate decision…

“Tonight I want to say to you that I believe you are the fortunate ones. You are the ones proving that it is possible to participate in sport on a high level and still get a degree. And you will get your reward. The skills you acquire under that pressure that you experience will stand you in good stead in the world of work one day. You guys are good examples of the roundedness that we want all our graduates to have."

“Over the past hundred years, quite a few things have changed at Stellenbosch University. But one thing will always remain: Maties pride. The ability to excel, the impact that we make on the world, the value and inherent success that Maties carry within them – across the globe.

“To celebrate Maties pride in a sporting sense, we are launching the #Maties100 challenge – with the goal of raising no less than A MILLION RAND towards student bursaries. We have put out a call to all our alumni to cycle, run, swim and walk for this worthy cause – asking those who are planning to sign up for sporting events in 2018, to let the Alumni Office know so that they can join the #Maties100 challenge and help us raise that MILLION RAND for bursaries. So, that's my challenge to you. I am counting on Maties Sport to lead the way in the #Maties100 challenge. Let's go forward together."