Griffith University honoured the exceptional sporting achievements of 81 Griffith athletes and celebrated their outstanding contributions to sport at the 2025 Blues Awards on 12 November 2025.
Recently named an Australian Olympic Pathway University, Griffith produced more Olympians than any other Australian university across the past three Olympic Games.
The Blues Awards celebrated the talent and drive of athletes across a wide spectrum of sporting disciplines.
Thirty-one Griffith athletes received a Half Blue Award for representing their nation at a junior level or in regional international competitions, and 38 Griffith athletes received a Full Blue Award for representing their country at a senior level during their studies.
The Griffith Sporting Hall of Fame award honoured an exceptional legacy of athletic achievement and celebrated an enduring commitment to nurturing world-class sporting excellence.
This prestigious award was presented to Griffith alumnus Bronwen Knox OLY (Bachelor of Biomedical Science) for her outstanding contributions to water polo and representing Australia on the world stage.
Ms Knox is Australia’s only female water polo athlete to compete in four Olympics, and represented Australia in 2008 Beijing, 2012 London, 2016 Rio, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, earning bronze medals in both 2008 and 2012.
Director Griffith Sports College Naomi McCarthy OAM OLY said the number of international athletes achieving incredible results was astonishing.
“It’s been another exceptional year for Griffith student athletes competing on the world stage,” Ms McCarthy said.
“It speaks to not only their dedication to their sport, but the support our athletes receive from Griffith to balance their academic and sporting careers.”
One of two new categories in 2025 included the Excellence in Action award which recognised an individual who demonstrated outstanding achievement both on and off the sporting field.
This award was presented to Harris Andrews (Bachelor of Education), co-captain of the Brisbane Lions AFL team, who led his team to back-to-back Premiership victories in 2024 and 2025.
Beyond the field, Mr Andrews was honoured for his advocacy in addressing domestic and family violence, and received a Griffith Award for Academic Excellence.
The second new category in 2025 highlighted 13 members of the Griffith University Swim Club who proudly represented their country at varying levels of international competition including Zac Stubblety-Cook OAM OLY (Bachelor of Business) who will graduate from Griffith University in 2025.
Achieving the highest results of the year in sport and receiving the Athlete of the Year award, Meg Harris OAM OLY (Bachelor of Nursing) was honoured for her incredible effort at the 2025 World Aquatic Championships where she won gold in the 50 metre freestyle and the 4 x 100 metre freestyle relay.
Recognised for a stunning year of achievements including a gold medal at the 2025 Taranto World Triathlon Para Series and two silver medals at the 2025 Para World Triathlon Championships both in the PTS5 Men’s and Mixed Para Team Relay, Para-triathlete Jack Howell (Bachelor of Education) received the Para Athlete of the Year award.
The First Peoples Athlete of the Year was presented to Mikayla Hinkley (Bachelor of Psychology – Honours), a professional cricketer with the Perth Scorchers and selected for the Australian First Nations cricket team.
Achieving the highest grade point average out of all Griffith athletes, Jackson Harvey (Dual Bachelor in Environment and Science and Business) competed internationally in freestyle mogul skiing, and was awarded the Academic Athlete of the Year.
Griffith student and triathlete Tara Sosinski (Bachelor of Biomedical Science) received the Junior Athlete of the Year award for representing Australia at an international underage level.
Ms Sosinski recently returned from the Triathlon World Championships where she won a bronze medal in the U23 mixed relay team.
She also won silver in the Asia Triathlon Cup, and placed 15th in the U23 World Triathlon Cup.
