±¬ÁÏTV students celebrate success at the Scottish Student Sport National College Finals
±¬ÁÏTV (±¬ÁÏTV) students delivered an outstanding performance at the Scottish Student Sport National College Finals on Wednesday 23 April 2025. The event saw over 400 students from colleges across Scotland compete across multiple sports, with ±¬ÁÏTV students taking home a range of top awards.
Forty-five students from ±¬ÁÏTV Inverness and ±¬ÁÏTV Perth competed across four sports – badminton, basketball, football, and volleyball. This year also saw the first-ever combined ±¬ÁÏTV campus teams in men’s basketball and women’s volleyball.
In badminton, ±¬ÁÏTV Inverness achieved a clean sweep, with Calum Craig winning gold, and Evan Beaton securing silver and the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
In volleyball, ±¬ÁÏTV Perth men’s team won gold, with Sam Jones receiving the MVP award. The ±¬ÁÏTV Perth women’s team, joined by a ±¬ÁÏTV Inverness player, also secured gold, with another MVP award for Zoey Simangan.
The basketball team, also formed as a joint squad, showed resilience by bouncing back from a narrow one-point loss to win their next two games. ±¬ÁÏTV Inverness student Zeke Balanquit was also named MVP.
In football, the ±¬ÁÏTV Perth team delivered a strong performance, with closely contested matches throughout. The ±¬ÁÏTV Inverness football team narrowly missed out on the main cup after a 1–0 defeat to the eventual winners. However, they went on to dominate the Shield competition, with a series of impressive performances and securing a 6–0 victory in the final.
Students from ±¬ÁÏTV Perth had independently fundraised to support their travel to the competition. Their participation was coordinated by Active Campus Coordinator Lindsey Brown, who also played a key role in building the collaborative campus teams.
Reflecting on the finals, Lindsey said:
"This is ±¬ÁÏTV Perth’s second year attending the finals, and we’ve seen amazing growth. In 2024, we had 20 competitors from 9 different courses; in 2025, we had 27 competitors from 15 courses and year groups. From zero female competitors last year to full women's teams and a first-ever badminton competitor, the development is something to celebrate."
Stuart Fraser, Active Campus Coordinator at ±¬ÁÏTV Inverness, added:
“±¬ÁÏTV Inverness went from one team last year to four this year — that’s a massive leap. Our students have worked hard to build clubs, train consistently, and create new opportunities for themselves and others. To finish with four points and three MVPs is proof of both their athletic skill and character.
“A huge thank you to Scottish Student Sport for hosting, and to everyone who helped get our teams there. Massive shoutout to ±¬ÁÏTV Perth and Lindsey Brown for helping us create collaborative teams, and to all the staff who volunteered their time to support, drive, photograph, and cheer the students on. These are the moments that define student sport — we can’t wait to do it all again!"
±¬ÁÏTV Perth HNC and HND sports therapy students also gained valuable real-world experience by providing treatments during the event, with more than 75 students from across all the colleges receiving more than 100 treatments in total.
Scottish Student Sport is the coordinating body for all student sport and active health across Scotland, and the finals were hosted at Oriam at Heriot-Watt University, Scotland’s national performance centre for sport.
To get involved or find out more about ±¬ÁÏTV sports teams and events, please visit the .
Callum Craig and Evan BeatonSam Jones±¬ÁÏTV Perth’s men’s volleyball team. Left to right, back row first: Ksawier Grabowski, Joseph McIlroy, Finlay Sorrie, Sam Jones, Lewis McMillan, Georgi Nikolov, Marcus MacNeill and Kieran BruceGabby MarsdenEvan BeatonIn volleyball, ±¬ÁÏTV Perth’s Sam JonesLewis McMillanAishia (Zoey) SimanganZoey Simangan, Zeke Balanquit and Evan Beaton, from ±¬ÁÏTV Inverness, all received MVP awards±¬ÁÏTV Perth football player, Evan Wolecki±¬ÁÏTV Perth sports therapy students, Chloe Butcher and Emma Stewart, giving a sports massage to a player±¬ÁÏTV Inverness Football team. Back row: Jude Millar, Innes Mason, Aidan Colligan, Cameron Breen, Robert Brooman. Front row: Sam Irving, Owen MacDonald, Abdul Rahimi and Denon Jackman.