The competition was last held in 2013 when the Technical University of Munich took the title. Hallam competed that year but since then have been crowned champions of BUCS twice, in 2013/2014 and 2014/2015. They beat Northumbria 3-2 in 2014 to take the crown for the first time and last year, they defeated Bournemouth 3-1 to keep their title for another year.

Despite this success, captain Alex Jenkins was quick to cool any talk of Hallam taking the European crown. He told SHUlife Sport: “We are just looking to compete and play well as a team, we are missing a few crucial players so some of the younger guys will be relied on more heavily. This will be a great learning opportunity for everyone! Hopefully we can perform well and get some results”.

One man who has been crucial in the recent volleyball success at Hallam is their coach, Keith Trenam. His influence has been so great that the players have created their own hashtag for him, with #VivaLaTrenam regularly accompanying their tweets. Keith told us that the competition could provide a great platform for the players saying, “This is a great opportunity for the players to play against high level teams and help them to progress their game and showcase themselves for future pro contracts.”

Hallam’s squad for the tournament is as follows: Alex Jenkins, Owen Lamb, Leon Davis Chambers, Jordan Darylimple, Jonny Willis, Sonny Chaney, Alex Calpin and Jack Nurdin.

The draw for the competition will be made once the teams arrive in Italy.

We at SHUlife Sport are delighted to be accompanying Hallam and will be reporting on their every step so make sure you stay tuned to our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages, as well as our Snapchat, for all the very latest.

The full list of teams competing: 

“Hallam are extremely proud that two of our student athletes have been selected to compete at the World University Games. Max and Claire have both worked extremely hard over their years at Hallam, managing their academics and sport and putting 110% in at all times. We would like to wish them all the best in the completion and hope they have a fabulous time representing Great Britain”

The games take place from the 3rd to 14th July. Make sure you stay tuned to us to find out how Max and Claire get on!

(Photo taken from http://www.shu.ac.uk/mediacentre/graves-be-home-sheffield-hallam-supported-2012-legacy-centre?filter=Olympics)

1)      Netball 3’s
Hallam went into Monday at the English Institute of Sport knowing that they needed a big day to cut University of Sheffield’s lead which then stood at 6 points. Thankfully, they got just that as they managed to halve the deficit by the close of play.
A defining moment on that day came in the Netball 3’s game. With around ten minutes to play, University of Sheffield lead 25-20 and seemed to be well in control of the game and moving towards the win. However, Hallam dug deep and pulled off the most dramatic of comebacks, scoring four times in quick succession with only seconds left on the clock to secure a 30-28 win.

2)      Cricket
Varsity week began with athletics and climbing, as well as a plethora of action at the Sheffield Hallam Sports Park. After a string of great performances, Hallam won the day 9-6 overall to set them up well for the rest of the week.
One of the key factors behind Hallam’s good opening day was the whitewash in the cricket, with Hallam winning all three games.
Up first was the men’s 2’s. Hallam managed to bowl their opponents out for 70, meaning Hallam needed 71 to win and they reached that target with ease, reaching 71/2 inside 7 overs.
Next up was the women’s game. University of Sheffield ended on 104, setting Hallam an impressive target of 105. It seemed a big ask but despite Hallam needing 11 off their final over, they managed to reach 105 off their final ball! It was controversial last over with University of Sheffield deemed to have bowled a no-ball, allowing Hallam to reach their target.
The final game was the men’s cricket 1’s. Hallam were put into bat first and set their opponents a target of 106. This target proved to be too much for University of Sheffield who only reached 93 inside their 10 overs meaning Hallam took the win and secured the clean-sweep.

3)      Cycling
For the first time in their history, Hallam Cycling were victorious at Varsity after winning 3 of the 5 events to secure 1.5 points out of the 2 on offer.
The first event was the Cross Country event which took place in March. Hallam were successful in that which put the 1-0 up in the cycling Varsity.
Next up was the Downhill event which took place on the 12^th April. Hallam once again secured the win which put the 2-0 up and put them in a good position going into the next three events.
University of Sheffield responded by winning the Road Time Trial event before Hallam secured the 1.5 points by winning the BMX Event. This secured Hallam’s first ever win in the Cycling Varsity and the points won played a big part in Hallam’s attempted overall Varsity comeback.

4)      Men’s Water Polo
The men’s water polo team ended a brilliant season by securing their first Varsity triumph in eight years.
The team have already won the BUCS Northern 1A division, winning every game before going on to lift the BUCS Trophy. It was then onto the Premier North Play-Offs and they actually played their second play-off game on the morning of Varsity,  beating St Andrews 18-3 to secure promotion.
After already playing a game that morning, it made it even more special that Hallam went on to win Varsity 30-9. It was a comprehensive win and a very impressive performance with Hallam always looking the superior team.

5)      American Football/Women’s basketball 1’s
Ok, this is cheating slightly but we just couldn’t separate these two performances.
Both these teams were expected to win, going off the form book, but they both secured emphatic victories to help Hallam’s cause.
The American Football was the final event of Varsity day 1. The Hallam Warriors came into Varsity on the back of an unbeaten season which had saw them win the BUCS Yorkshire Division. They kept up this for in Varsity, running out 42-6 winners over the Sheffield Sabres to end the day on a high for Hallam.
The women’s basketball 1’s played their game on the Monday at the English Institute of Sport. It was an unbelievable performance as they ran out 116-12 winners  to secure the win and Varsity point in emphatic style.

Hallam took along a B team and a Ladies team as well as few spectators to cheer them on.

On Saturday morning, it was an early start for the teams but fuelled up by a McDonalds breakfast, B team were up first playing Nottingham Trent. This was a great match to watch as Hallam dominated from the beginning and kept possession throughout the game managing to score six goals, attempting to shoot at every opportunity they got. It was a victory for Hallam at 6-0.

The ladies team were up next facing Warwick who were one of the stronger teams in the contest.  Warwick started their attack early managing to score a goal within the first minute of the game however Hallam saved their next couple attempts. Unfortunately this didn’t weaken Warwick and they score again. Hallam don’t lose courage and gain possession but a fierce Warwick intercept. Hallam fight for the ball but Warwick get it although Hallam manage to save their goal attempts before half time. The second half is exciting as Hallam make good progress and bin a Warwick player however Warwick end up scoring meaning Hallam accept a 0-7 loss.

Hallam’s B team face Southampton next in a very competitive game. Hallam make early attempts to score but Southampton manage to save them. Hallam regain possession by binning Southampton and manage to score. After a squabble for the ball, Southampton shoot too high and Hallam attempt another goal. The pace picks up after half time with neither team wasting opportunities to score and Hallam’s attack gets stronger. The game is another Victory for Hallam at 2-1.

The Hallam ladies had one victory against Stirling winning 3-0 but their strongest performance was in their final match against Birmingham with some good attempts at gaining the ball shooting but Birmingham just managed to win.

The sun was out on the Sunday morning to support the B Team in their quarter final against Loughborough. It was a strong performance from Hallam’s men and the best they played all weekend.  Although Loughborough won 2-1, Hallam managed to win against Cardiff later in the day 6-1 placing them 6^th in the B Teams category which was an improvement on their result last year.

Hallam also entered a duo in to the duo match and they did extremely well having never have been in a duo together before.

All in all, it was a great weekend for Hallam gaining more experience in Canoe Polo and Esther Freeman, the polo captain said ‘ I’m so proud of everyone and a massive well done to all of the players and spectators. I am genuinely so proud of the progress everyone has made since the start of the year.’