More than 150 athletes awarded Stirling sports scholarships

More than 150 athletes spanning 28 sports have been awarded prestigious sports scholarships from the University of Stirling – Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence – for 2024/25.

Under Stirling’s International Sports Scholarship Programme, athletes receive a package of support that enables them to train and compete in a world-class environment, while balancing their sporting endeavours with their studies.

This year’s recipients include several Olympians – including British swimmers Katie Shanahan and Angharad Evans, Zimbabwean swimmer Paige van der Westhuizen and Trinidad and Tobago judoka Gabriella Wood.

Alexander Farmer, the Scottish Men’s Amateur champion; Ross Laird, who won last year’s British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Order of Merit title; and James Wood, the Scottish Boys’ Amateur champion, are among the golfers to be awarded.

Tennis scholars include Liam Hignett, the current BUCS National champion, and Anna McBride, a two-time singles and doubles champion at the Australian Open’s players with intellectual impairment event.

Scotland hockey international Lexie Macmillan received a scholarship, as has the top-ranked British street skateboarder Daisy Buchanan; modern pentathlete Tristen Bell, who won silver at last year’s Pan American Games; and skier Scott Meenagh, Britain’s first ever medallist at a Para-Nordic World Championships.

Excellence

David Bond, Head of Performance Sport at the University of Stirling, said: “As Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence, we are proud to have a wealth of talent, across a multitude of sports, training and competing on our campus.

“Through our International Sports Scholarship Programme, we have supported hundreds of athletes to achieve their sporting and academic ambitions. We are delighted to confirm our scholars for the year ahead and wish them the best of luck for the 2024/25 season. We look forward to seeing what they can achieve over the next 12 months.”

The International Sports Scholarship Programme – one of the largest high-performance programmes in the UK – offers athletes funding support, academic flexibility, access to world-class facilities and coaching, equipment and kit. It has supported more than 700 athletes since its inception in 1981 – with many competing on the world stage, including at the Olympics and Commonwealth Games.

Core sports include swimming, golf, football, tennis, triathlon, rugby and curling, while individual scholarships include students competing in athletics, fencing, BMX racing, and orienteering.

Visit our dedicated webpage for more information on our International Sports Scholarship Programme.