Varsity Netball's last dance leaves Chiranga proud of her team
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A young Wits team led out by Panashe Chiranga once again took to the tournament, spread over two months and across eight universities.
With the 2024 Varsity Netball season, now a thing of the past, the Wits ladies’ team can look back and be proud of their second ever showing in the prestigious University competition.
Wits University proudly hosted the first round of fixtures at the Wits Multipurpose Sports Hall, where the Witsies played in two tough fixtures that unfortunately did not go their way. Better days did however eventually come later in the showpiece, where the Wits team picked up two wins out of the seven games played. The two wins came in the form of a massive 86-24 scoreline against the Tshwane University of Technology, as well as a 62-50 victory over the Nelson Mandela University.
Captain Panashe Chiranga beamed with pride as she looked back on her last experience of the tournament with Wits.
“It was an absolute dream playing our second campaign of this prestigious tournament. Being at the biggest stage of University Sports as a contender was a surreal experience. There was great improvement in the overall team performance, which was a testament to the hard work we did throughout the year together. For myself as, Panashe Chiranga, it was a full-circle moment to play my second campaign of Varsity Netball as this was my last year playing at university level.”
The competition is tough, with seasoned University teams participating, Chiranga went on to delve into what the team took away from competing at such a demanding tournament.
“Considering we were once again a really young team with a number of first years, the competition brought us great exposure to the highest level of university sports and a necessary learning experience for the team going forward in preparation for their careers in the High-Performance University space and beyond.”
At the end of the competition, the Witsies ran some of the more experienced teams closer than expected, which really reflected the work going on behind the scenes, with Dr Elsje Jordaan and her staff hard at work. The team achieved a sixth-place finish in the log standings, showing a great improvement from the debut season in 2023.
The Wits skipper concluded by sharing what can be expected from this young Wits side, which will certainly grow in leaps and bounds with the highly experienced coaching staff around them.
“An immense growth can be expected in future from this Wits squad, with new talent coming and greater experience from the current players. Prepare to see a game of high calibre from the Wits Netball squad.”
