The annual British Universities & Colleges (BUCS) awards ceremony took place earlier this month, with former USC Trojan Louise Hansson earning prestigious honors.
The Swedish swimmer who has been training at Loughborough University since late 2020 was named Sportsperson of the Year. The award ‘celebrates the domestic or international success of a student studying at a BUCS member institution. The award recognizes the highest possible standard of competition achieved.’
🎶 Who run the world? Girls 🎶
In a category dominated by women, it's Louise Hansson who is the Sportsperson of the Year, sponsored by @WeAreOutgoing, after a gold standard season for @Lboroswimming 🥇 #BUCSAwards pic.twitter.com/1cp52t3VLL
— BUCS (@BUCSsport) July 6, 2022
25-year-old Hanson made major waves at the 2021 FINA Short Course World Championships, earning 7 medals in Abu Dhabi. The sprint ace won gold in the women’s 100m back, silver in the 100m fly and bronze in the 50m back in addition to 4 relay medals.
Her contribution on the women’s 4x50m free relay there resulted in the Swedish squad not only taking gold but also equalling the World Record. Hansson was also a member of Sweden’s European Record-breaking 4x100m medley relay.
Additional nominees in the Sportsperson of the Year category included University of Nottingham’s Nike Lorenz (field hockey), University of Manchester’s Grace Harvey (Para swimmer), Imperial College London’s Melissa Hexter (powerlifting) and Brunel University’s Isabel Brider (taekwondo and kickboxing).
According to the BUCS Awards website, the honors celebrate the diversity of success across the higher education sector, be this the creation of champions, volunteers and administrators going above and beyond for the sector, or encouraging an athletic habit for life. These awards celebrate the positive effect of student sport on the institutions within BUCS, the students who participate and the wider sporting sector in the UK.
Past swimmers having won the BUCS Sportsperson of the Year award include Michael Jamieson, Anna Hopkin and Duncan Scott.