The team of MBA students from The Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business dominated the 10th Annual International Business School Regatta (IBSR) out of the Portsmouth Harbour Yacht Club in England on July 19-21.

Participating in the IBSR for the second time, the School bettered the third place obtained in last year’s competition. This year over 400 MBA candidates from more than 15 leading international business schools converged on the Solent for two days of racing. London Business School and SDA Bocconi finished second and third respectively.

Fresh from a fourth place finish in Class 2 with team Exclamation at Ford Cork Week, Olympic yachtsman Sean Nunes - who represented Jamaica in the International 470 class at Sydney 2000 Games - helmed for the Smurfit team. Since his major efforts in Sydney, Sean has moved onto larger boats and he is now a world-class sailor who has successfully competed both offshore and in coastal sailing events in Ireland and around the globe. John Phelan, who filled the role as bowman, is credited with three Fastnet races, four Round Irelands, a Transatlantic and several offshore events in Spain, France and the Caribbean. John also sails dinghy, including 49ers and B-14 skiffs in the UK.

Stroud Hall, who handled the mainsheet, is a qualified senior instructor with the Irish Sailing Association and has competed nationally and internationally since the age of seven in a variety of dinghies including Optimist, Mirror and Laser classes. Most recently he has participated at the Laser II world championships, the J24 Worlds, Europeans, Student Yachting Worlds, and the 1/4 & 3/4 Ton Worlds.

The Graduate School crew was able to win the first three races on the Saturday in the challenging tidal waters of the Solent. Careful calculations on Sunday indicated that team needed a third place or better in the fourth race to win the best four out of five series. The team did just that and sailed well enough in the fourth race to secure the overall win without having to sail the fifth and final race.

Sean and the crew of eight 2002 MBA Graduates trained hard to obtain this outstanding result at the International Business School Regatta, one of the major events in the business schools calendar that attracts teams from the top schools in Europe and the US.

UCD Ladies Soccer team wrote themselves into the history books on September 1st when they defeated Shamrock Rovers 2-1 in the WFAI Cup Final. Six times winners Rovers were attempting to record a 7th consecutive title and were 1-0 up at half-time thanks to a well taken penalty. Although UCD created some excellent chances themselves in the first half, College did not take advantage of their dominance in midfield.

The second half saw a refocused UCD team who were soon back on even terms thanks to a well-taken penalty by captain, Linda Greene. With about 20 minutes remaining in the contest, UCD striker Carmel Kissane scored a wonderful winner from 25 yards and the team went on to secure an unprecedented victory in their first Premier Soccer season. To add to this victory, the UCD Ladies now have the honour of representing the University and Irish Women’s Soccer in the European Cup Winners Cup next year.

This cup victory caps off a wonderful season for the UCD club in which they secured second position in the Premier Division of the National League and introduced soccer scholarships for female athletes of outstanding ability, the first Irish university club to set up such a scheme.

The Club wishes to sincerely thank everyone for their support throughout the year and in particular Bank of Ireland and Coca Cola for their generous sponsorship of playing and training gear, respectively. UCD Winning Panel: V. Redmond, T. Murray, K. Liston, N. Stapleton, N. Lyndsay, C. Kissane, C. Dunne, S. Gee, L. Kearney, L. Greene, S. Loughrey, E. McCormack, N. Spratt, G. Morris, K. Kelly, E. Harrington. Manager: Jason Carey. Assistant Coach: Caroline Duggan.

UCD's Justin Kehoe became the second successive Irish golfer to win the World Universities Championship 2002 in Taiwan on Wednesday 14th August. One shot behind after the first round, Justin took the lead in round two after a seven under par 65. He then went on to finish the competition with rounds of 71 and 69, six ahead of his nearest rival. Justin, who was a former scholarship recipient in UCD, graduated in 2001 with a BComm International in French. In addition, to his individual victory Justin and his former UCD Colleagues Mark O’Sullivan and Mark Campbell secured the team silver medal. With O'Sullivan finishing 13th and Campbell finishing 19th the Irish team finished in second overall six shots behind the team champions Japan.

A dominant second half performance saw UCD qualify for the second round of the Dublin Senior Football Championship when they came from behind to defeat a much fancied Ballyboden side at Parnell Park last Monday night. Dublin star Colin Moran's fourth minute goal separated the sides at the interval as Ballyboden led 1-5 to 0-5 at half-time. Although College had plenty of possession, they failed to make the most of it while a first half injury to UCD captain Ciaran McManus looked set to deplete Colleges chances in the second half. UCD also had a goal chance before the break but former Dublin minor goalkeeper John Bates denied John Hanley with Redmond Barry slicing the rebound wide. 

In the second half McManus moved to full-forward and hit a crucial goal to turn the balance of power the way of the UCD side. Although College had trailed for most of this game they took the lead eight minutes from time when Brian `Beano' McDonald, edged them into a 1-8 to 1-7 lead. A fine point from James Conroy, a minute from time, extended UCD's advantage in a lively encounter of real championship quality. However, the UCD side could not be assured of victory until the final whistle and this nerve biting encounter concluded in the dying minute with Ballyboden mid-fielder Darren Homan having a goal disallowed as he was adjudged to have hand-passed the ball to the net.

This picture of the UCD Water Polo Team 1938 was discovered recently in a cupboard in Earlsfort Terrace. Click on image above for full size version.