MEDICINE student and water polo star Ashley Colaco says she feel honoured to have been awarded a prestigious University of Newcastle Blue for achieving excellence in her sport.
"It feels really, really nice," Ms Colaco, 25, said.
"As an athlete we work really really hard to achieve what we do and to be recognised for that is really lovely."
Ms Colaco was among 23 individuals and sporting clubs celebrated at the University of Newcastle's Sports Awards - presented in conjunction with NUSport - on Friday, which recognised stand-out performances in 2019 and 2020.
The daughter of two physiotherapists, Ms Colaco started playing water polo aged 12 and chose to study the five-year Bachelor of Medical Science degree and Doctor of Medicine (Joint Medical Program) because of a desire to help others.
"My sport contributed to it as well," she said. "I've always been an advocate for living a healthy lifestyle and I wanted to be in a career where I could promote a healthy lifestyle and preventative medicine."
Ms Colaco has been a UON Water Polo Club player, secretary and vice president.
She was part of the Australian under-20 squad touring Germany, the Netherlands and Montenegro in 2016 and was selected as the starting centre back in the Australian University Games team that competed in the 2017 Summer Universiade in Taipei.
She was selected in the Australian A team to tour Japan and train and play against the senior Japanese National team in 2018.
Ms Colaco said she was grateful to have received two scholarships totalling around $4000 as well as to have been part of UON's elite athlete program, which sees staff support students to help them manage study commitments, provide flexibility around sporting commitments and facilitate access to networking and personal development opportunities.
"It has been really difficult at times and it's become about prioritising and sometimes figuring out where to compromise," she said.
"It was a bit of give and take. What kept me going was the love of the sport.
"I've always been quite driven to keep achieving and try and be better and try and be my best in every aspect of my life and that drove me in both things. I'm quite competitive with myself and I always like to be the best version of myself I can be."
Ms Colaco has had to pull back from sport in recent years due to the pandemic.
She's been offered a role as an intern doctor in Hunter New England Local Health District next year.
Other winners included touch footballer Amy Dufour being named Sports Person of the Year for 2019 and the ACT Brumbies Super W Rugby Union squad's Susannah Cooke receiving the Friends of the University Scholarship for 2022.
