NYU Abu Dhabi’s intercollegiate sports teams have continued to grow since the university’s first semester in the fall of 2010. Many of the teams compete in the Abu Dhabi Inter-University Sports League. Although the seasons of various sports are still in progress, The Gazelle got the scoop on where some of our sports team stand as the semester draws to a close.

Since NYUAD is such a new and small school, the students play an enormous role in developing and motivating sports teams throughout their time at university. The Gazelle talked to several of the sports team captains and asked them about their proudest moments this semester.

The women’s football team is currently second in the league with four wins and no losses this term. Arantza Rodriguez, Class for 2019, is one of the co-captains of the women’s football team. She shared her proudest moment with The Gazelle:

“We went to Shanghai as a team and we played against NYU Shanghai and we won! Five to one. It was just great having two sister schools just playing against each other, getting to know the other team.”

Captain of the men’s football team, Nikoloz Adeishvili, Class of 2019, focused his proudest moment on the team’s last game of the semester.

“I think it happened last week when we were losing 2-1 … there was, just what, like three minutes left … the team thought we were gonna lose the game … and then suddenly in the span of two minutes, we turned the game around and we actually … [won]. It was insane, I think the crowd reaction was also crazy … [When] I looked at all of the players, I was like, I’m super proud of all of you,” said Adeishvili. “You could see the fight that everyone put in, you could see, like, everyone’s work — and this doesn’t only include the players who are actually on the pitch, but also people who are on the bench … They were there for us, and they were supporting us, they were shouting for us … the fight that I saw in these people as well makes me really proud as a captain.”

The men’s football team is currently first in the league with four wins, one draw and one loss.

Ella Noll, Class of 2019, is a captain of the women’s basketball team. The women’s teams one and two are currently third and fourth in the league, respectively. Noll shared her proudest take away from the semester, “This year we had a lot of freshmen join and a lot of the upper and middle classmen kind of dropped out because of other academic responsibilities – they wanted to be there but they couldn't’ – and… I was proud of how well we integrated the freshmen and took a lot of the players who had never played before... and like brought them up to a level of play that we can all have fun at.”

The men’s basketball teams, Varsity and Junior Varsity, placed first and second in the league respectively.

“So early in the semester we were playing a pro team, Bani Yas, and we really hadn’t been playing good basketball beforehand. We had a lot of freshmen taking on big roles and for a moment everything clicked and the game became art,” said Liam Meier, Class of 2019.

The women’s volleyball team is currently fourth in the league. Atoka Jo, Class of 2019, and co-captain of the team shared, “I’m very proud of … [the] energy that everyone brings to all the practices and I think that because everyone is very motivated and they really enjoy the practice, that creates a very tight atmosphere,” said Jo. “I love that and I’m proud of it.”

Willem Cant, Class of 2019, has been captain of the men’s volleyball team since his first year at NYUAD.

“What I’ve loved to see this semester was that we played the champions, the UAE University of Al Ain, last match, and they have been champions for the last four to five years … seeing as a captain … how close we were to almost beating them really was a proud moment,” said Cant. “We started off with the team my freshman year basically only like three, four players. It wasn’t very serious, but in the last three years we’ve really managed to develop a … team that’s been really competitive … The hard work over the last few years is starting to pay off.”

The men’s volleyball team is currently sixth in the league.

The community looks forward to more updates from our sports teams next semester.