Ryan Baird was named Sportsperson of the Year at the Trinity Sport annual award ceremony held virtually last night.
At the ceremony, awards were handed out to Trinity’s sports clubs and athletes while 14 recipients of the Pinks were also announced.
Baird won the award in a year in which virtually no sport has taken place on campus. Along with Baird, the two other nominees for Sportsperson of the Year were international athletes Kate Doherty and Kathryn Dane.
Baird, a third-year computer science and business student who has long been touted as an up-and-coming rugby sensation, commenced his international rugby career this year after getting the call-up for the Six Nations match against Italy.
Baird has been a regular for the Leinster outfit, often making starts in the second row, with an array of impressive performances throughout the season.
Baird was previously a player for Dublin University Football Club (DUFC) men’s before signing a professional contract with Leinster last year.
Kate Doherty won the award for Sport Performance of the Year for her showing at the 4×200 metre World Relays in Poland last month where the Irish team came second and set a new national record.
Running in the second leg, Doherty was the fastest of all her competitors at a sprint of 24.05 seconds.
That weekend, Doherty was also part of the 4x100m team that qualified for the World Athletics Championships in Oregon in 2022.
Dublin University Ladies Hockey Club (DULHC) won the award for Social Media Campaign of the Year, as voted for by students, for creating a video to promote their club during freshers’ week. DULHC also won Administrator of the Year with the award going to Emily O’Neill, the captain of the club.
The Impact Award, handed out by Trinity Sport for the first time this year, recognises the campaigns organised by clubs to support charities during the pandemic. The award was jointly handed to DU Trampoline Club for their ISTO fundraiser and DULHC for their “Chase what Matters” campaign.
Suzanne Richmond, captain of the Marchathon Walkaholics team, won the participation award for contributing to participation events within the Trinity community.
Trinity Sport tonight also named 14 recipients of the 2021 Pink awards across eight clubs. The Pinks have been handed out since 1927 in recognition of students who have shown “outstanding individual merit in their chosen sport”.
This year’s recipients of the Pinks are Erica Markey, Isabelle Delamer and Rachel Burns of DULHC, Aisling Page of DU Karate, Jack MacNamara and Brian Connolly of DU Ultimate Frisbee, Ailbhe Kelly of DU Swimming and Water Polo, Jack Kelly, Johnny McKeown, Max Kearney and Michael Silvester of DUFC, Laura Stack of DU GAA, Oskar Ronan of DU Archery and Seán Thompson of DU Harriers and Athletics.
