Murdoch University Softballers return to WA as State Champions

By Rhiannon-Lane Lisseman Murdoch University’s women’s softball team has walked away state champions at this year’s Australian University Games (AUG) beating University of Western Australia by 17 runs. Team members Krystal Owen, April Hand, Katie Smith and Lauren O’Neill established the Vikings women’s softball team earlier this year. Krystal Owen said as a new team they weren’t too confident going into the 2014 AUG. “We thought we would never win a game and to beat UWA and become state champions is just an indescribable feeling,” said Miss Owen. The team raised more than $2,800 to cover travel and uniform expenses and said the support from their peers was overwhelming. “You don’t realise how much people care about university sports until you are a part of a team,” said Miss Owen. A state tournament before the AUG was cancelled because there were too few WA teams competing. Krystal said even though they won the state championship title at the AUG,  a state tournament in Perth before the games would have helped. “The first game we played was our first game at Uni games and it was quite terrible,” said Miss Owen. Australian University Sport President Deidre Anderson told Australian University Sport “The AUG is the largest annual multisport event held in Australia and it is thanks to the support of member universities.” “Everyone is so friendly because everyone is there for the same reason, so after the games had ended we would all go out to the prearranged events,” said Miss Owen. Miss Owen said the University games has brought the Vikings closer and they’re now “like one big family.”