WSU NETBALL BLOWS COMPETITION AWAY AT USSA CHAMPS TO GAIN PROMOTION

A dominant display of netball underpinned by an enterprising brand of play has led to the WSU team gaining promotion to the University Sports South Africa (USSA) Super League Section C division following a storming performance at the recent USSA Netball Championships.

Joint hosts, the University of Johannesburg and WITS, essentially became the playground for a watershed moment for WSU netball as the team went on to gain promotion from Section C Premier division to Super Section C division after winning six out of their seven matches.

“This is, of course, a great moment for our team and the university as a whole because it means we get to elevate the profile of our netball programme and move a step closer to competing against the best universities in the country. This opens up a pathway for us to start believing in achieving much bigger things, “said head coach, Sibongiseni Nana.

It was as recent as 2023 that the foundations for this massive triumph would be laid, with Nana and her technical team deliberately scouting first and second-year student athletes at Intervarsity – a move to create continuity for 2024 and beyond.

One of those players who caught the eye of the coaches was first-year ICT student and team captain, Lilitha Mosina, who hails from East London and started playing the sport only in the third grade.

“I’m extremely proud of the team for making it this far because we’ve worked very hard to achieve this, and being rewarded with promotion is the best feeling and it’s nothing less than what we deserve. Being captain of this team has been amazing – a privilege that has been incredibly rewarding and challenging at the same time,” said Mosina.

She said key to the team’s success was the studying and analysis of their opponents, their consistency in playing hard and executing the game plan, and a dogged determination never to give up, all the while of course minimizing mistakes.

Vice-captain, Sinothile Ngesi, a wing-attack and centre who hails from Harding in KwaZulu-Natal, also expressed unbridled joy following the team’s victory over CPUT in the final game to gain promotion.

“I had to remind myself at all times that this moment (tournament) is bigger than myself – it’s about the team as a whole as well as the university and its ambitions going forward. Everything in this team has excited me and has felt good because we’ve shared great times together and have made so many lasting memories,” said Ngesi.

RESULTS - WSU Netball at 2024 USSA Netball Championships

Won 43-31 against Rhodes University

Won 58-25 against Sefako Makgatho University

Won 47 – 43 against eta College

Won 45 – 40 against NWU Mafikeng

Lost 33- 35 against University of Mpumalanga

Won 40 – 29 against Namibia University of Science & Technology

Won 80 – 7 against Belgium Campus ITVersity

Won 37 – 28 against Cape Peninsula University of Technology (to qualify)

By Thando Cezula