Twenty top athletes join Sport Excellence Programme

From sailing, football and rugby to fencing, archery, sprint kayaking and Muay Thai, the new cohort brings together athletes competing at national and international levels while studying for degrees across the University.

The Sport Excellence Programme supports students to pursue their sporting ambitions alongside their studies, giving them access to specialist expertise designed to help them perform at their best both in competition and at university.

It also forms part of Solent’s commitment to creating a career-ready university experience, helping students develop the resilience, discipline, teamwork, communication and time-management skills that come with balancing high-performance sport and academic study. Alongside specialist sporting support, the programme helps athletes prepare for life beyond university and turn the skills and experiences they develop through sport into strengths for their future careers.

Iain Molyneux, Sport Education Partnerships Manager at Southampton Solent University, said:

“Our Sport Excellence Programme is about much more than supporting outstanding sporting performance. These students are learning every day how to manage pressure, set ambitious goals, work with others and balance competing priorities. Those are qualities that will serve them just as strongly in their future careers.

“We’re incredibly proud to welcome this year’s cohort and look forward to seeing what they achieve, both in their sports and during their time at Solent.”

Competition for places on the programme is strong, with prospective athletes completing an application and interview process before being selected. Successful applicants demonstrate both sporting potential and the commitment needed to balance the demands of high-performance competition with their academic ambitions.

Meet the 2026/27 cohort

This year’s 20 student-athletes represent 15 different sports and are studying subjects spanning sport, law, cyber security, engineering, design and the creative industries.

• Joe Faulkner – Basketball, Sport Coaching and PE

• Conor Galligan – Sailing, Yacht Design and Production

• Rob Bittles – Archery, Cyber Security

• Charlotte Robinson – Netball, Sport Therapy

• Ollie Broughton – Rugby, Yacht and Powercraft Design

• Daniel Beggs – Swimming, Sport, Nutrition and Exercise Psychology

• Chloe West – Air Rifle Shooting, Sport Therapy

• Ella Pettit – Football, Sport Therapy

• Emelie Cox – Netball, Yacht Design and Production

• Sophie Signorelli – Air Rifle Shooting, LLB Law

• Molly Bulteel – Cricket, Sport Coaching and Education

• Amelia Millward – Fencing, Electronics

• Alex Murphy – Road Cycling, Sport and Exercise Science

• Tihon Zutzkov – Sailing, Sport and Exercise Science

• Thomas Stone – Volleyball, CGI

• Sophie Jessica Mernagh – Football and Futsal, Football Studies

• Archie Munro Price – Sailing, Yacht and Powercraft Design

• Tom Holland – Sprint Kayaking, Sport and Exercise Science

• Charles Pearce – Muay Thai, Sport and Exercise Science

• Matteo Bertacchi – Sailing, Yacht and Powercraft Design

Behind the athletes is a multidisciplinary team of academics and specialist practitioners who provide tailored support across dual-career development, strength and conditioning, sport rehabilitation, psychology, nutrition and sport science.

The team includes:

• Iain Molyneux – Sport Education Partnership Manager

• Kelly Simm – Dual Career Support

• Jon Cooper – Strength and Conditioning

• Steph Lazarczuk – Sport Rehabilitation

• Beth Taylor – Sport Rehabilitation

• Tom Doncom – Sport Psychology

• Ellie Willmott – Sport Psychology

• Jamil Jubrail – Sport Nutrition

• Rebecca Blake – Sport Science Services

• Lauren Gerrish – Sport Programme Officer

• Chris Neville – Academic Representative

 

By bringing this expertise together, Solent aims to give student-athletes the support they need to achieve in their sport without compromising their studies or longer-term ambitions.

Throughout the academic year, Solent will share more about the athletes’ sporting achievements, their experiences balancing study and competition, and how the programme is helping them develop as both performers and career-ready graduates.

Photo: Harri Fowler