Play-offs, Massey Ag Exchange and Tertiary Championships round out the LU Netball year

LU Netball entered three Social sides in the Selwyn Competition and four teams in the Christchurch Netball competition. They also fielded an invitational team to play in the annual Massey AG Exchange and a Lincoln University team that played in the University Tertiary Sport New Zealand Tertiary Championships.

Our social sides enjoyed their season and had a great deal of fun but were not able to commit fully throughout the season due to the University Holiday timetable that resulted in them missing out on play-off spots.

The Lincoln University D team played creative netball this year in the 2nd Division A Section 4 and ended up finishing their Championship round with 3 wins and 2 losses, scoring 146 goals to 108. Their Most Improved Player was Grace Cody and their Player of the Year was Lydia Craw

A highlight of the season was the form shown by the C team. They started with promotion into the Senior Reserve Section 2 grade from the 2nd Division A Section 1 grade and then went through the reminder of the season with only the one loss against New Brighton A back in May. The side went on to win the Senior Reserve Section 2 grade with a great victory over Canterbury University B 56 – 28.  The teams winning formula stems from their committed and dedicated coach Alanna Taylor, who has been coaching LU Netball teams for six years, and the great comradely that the players show on and off the court. The teams Most Improved Player was Tamara Weller and their Player of the Year was Rebecca Stark while the team received the Champions and Goal Differential Trophy.

The majority of the side also played in the annual Massey Ag Exchange on the 16th of September. In an exciting match in front of a vocal crowd the Lincoln ladies couldn't quite keep up with the speed and physicality of the North Island students eventually going down 50-67. 

The 2017 Netball season was tough on the Premier B side with player movement and availability throughout the season due to the new competition format and the BEKO league. They unfortunately moved from Tuesday evening to Saturday netball through relegation however they kept their heads held high and played to the best of their ability. Their Most Improved Player was Georgia Thomson and their Player of the Year was Sophie Charlton

In a tough season the Premier A side had to overcome issues with the new competition format and player availability to get their combinations working. The side began to get cohesion in the Championship round and were unlucky not to reach the Finals going down by three, 51 – 54 against eventual Champions Kereru A. Laura Axcell was their Most Improved Player and Kate Grant was their Player of the Year. During the Sport Prizegiving long time LU Netball President and Premier A Manager Aileen Taylor was recognised for her outstanding efforts and dedication to the club and the game over the last 10 years.

At the Lincoln University Sport Prizegiving LU Netball honoured Jess Munro and Courtney Miller with their 50th Premier Game awards. Aileen Taylor was recognised with the Canterbury Teamwear  Club Personality of the Year while Gabby Thomas was awarded the Claire Lewis Trophy for Club Player of the Year. LU Netball's major sponsor Online Design and Build was also thanked at the awards evening for the generous support of the club throughout the season.

2017 was the first year that Lincoln University entered a team in the UTSNZ Netball Championships that was held in Auckland. The side had a good first up win over Waikato University 32-15 but narrowly went down to Victoria University 39-43 and were humbled by AUT losing 26-41. Unfortunately the team missed out on making the top four but with good wins over WINTEC 58-15 and Waikato University 45-26 the side ended up coming a commendable 5th place.  A special mention to Gabby Thomas who was selected in the Tournament team.