International caps, medals and titles mark record year for Exeter College sport
Exeter College is proud to announce that a record 25 learners have represented their country during the 2025 to 2026 academic year, across sports including rugby, football, water polo, athletics and ultimate frisbee.
A standout achievement came from the College’s Men’s and Women’s Rugby Academies, with 11 learners selected for England age-grade squads. It included a remarkable achievement for Women’s Rugby Academy learner Honey Kerslake, who featured for England at Under 18s and Under 21s in the same season.
Learners have also impressed on the international stage in several other sports. Three Football Academy players represented England Colleges, Jake Brown won a Taekwondo European Championship silver medal, Olivia Steer was crowned Under 16s 1500m National Champion in athletics, and three learners represented Great Britain in water polo. Jess Upchurch captained Great Britain in ultimate frisbee, with fellow learner Rowan Tigg also selected.
The international call-ups and medals cap another strong year for Exeter College’s sports set up. Both the College’s men’s and women’s football teams were crowned AoC National Champions, the first College to do this in the competition’s history, while the Men’s Rugby Academy won their ACE League and represented England at the SANIX World Youth Championships in Japan.
The year also saw the College expand and improve its sporting offer for young athletes. Devon’s first Women’s Cricket Academy in a non-fee-paying college was introduced, and the Women’s Football Academy relaunched its partnership with Exeter City Women’s Football Club.
Jake Brown represented England Taekwondo at the European and World Championships, winning a silver medal in the Euros. Jake is also part of the ACEs set up at Exeter College, which supports elite-level athletes where there isn’t already a focused sports performance programme. Jake said:
“I was quite young going into my first international sparring competition. I was 14 and competing against 18-year-olds. I was very nervous. Your legs feel like jelly, but you just have to stay focused. But as the years have gone on, you get used to that feeling, and you perform better.
“I’m in the Aces Academy at Exeter College. With that I have three gym sessions a week in my timetable, which for me, doing combat sports, is really useful because you need such a range of fitness components. The help you get from your coaches, the training plans and free physio and massages are really good.
“It’s hard to balance everything in an individual sport. You’ve got College, part-time work, all your assignments, your exams, and then you’ve got your training and your nutrition. Time management is the biggest thing, and I’m lucky to have good support from my parents.
“My biggest international achievement was winning the European Championships in one of my categories. The next step will hopefully be the kickboxing world championships in September for Great Britain.”
Beth Hall is part of the Exeter College Women’s Rugby Academy. Beth represented England U18 at this year’s Six Nations tournament and has ambitions to play for Exeter Chiefs and the Red Roses in the future. Beth said:
“When I got the call up, I was just shocked, but I was also unbelievably happy and proud. I had the email during my driving lesson, so yeah, that was a good lesson!
“Playing for England was such a surreal experience. When I walked into the changing rooms, there was just me and a couple of other kickers. It was quite a big changing room, and it was just silent. We were all just looking at each other and excited to have the opportunity.
“Being able to play a lot more rugby at a higher level at College gives you that exposure. Being able to train here, take those skills that we learned with the coaching and the gym sessions made such a difference.
“In the future, I’d love to get a contract with Exeter Chiefs. They’ve been my childhood club, and it’s a dream to play for them, and then play for England U21s and the Red Roses, I’d love to do that.”
Chris Wall, Sports Academy Manager at Exeter College, said:
“What an incredible year for Exeter College sport. To have 25 learners represent their country is a remarkable achievement and one they should be immensely proud of. All of our learners who represent the College work so hard, and we’re so proud to see that effort and determination paying off for so many this year.
“A huge thank you to all the coaches and support staff involved in Exeter College sport. The time and attention they give to our learners is second to none, and the individual and team successes we’ve had this year are a testament to that.”
Exeter College’s 2025/26 International Sporting Honours Board:
- Morgan Searle, Tennis – playing on the International Tennis circuit
- Olivia Steer, Athletics – 1500m Under 16s National Champion
- Eliza Cutler, Handball – Great Britain U19s
- Jake Brown, Taekwondo – World Championship Silver Medallist
- Jo Lamont Tuckett, Water Polo – Great Britain U20s
- Joe Davies Water Polo – Great Britain
- Poppy Liu, Water Polo – Great Britain
- Jess Upchurch, Ultimate Frisbee – Great Britain Captain
- Rowan Tigg, Ultimate Frisbee – Great Britain
- Humprey Parker, Hockey – AoC Sport England Colleges
- Karim Coulibaly, Football – England Colleges
- Kayleigh Turner, Football – England Colleges
- Lily Dowling, Football – England Colleges
- Charlie Bosanko, Rugby – England Under 18s
- Jeremy Keys, Rugby – England Under 18s
- Harry Westlake, Rugby – England Under 18s
- Archie Guyver, Rugby – England Under 18s
- Alfie Johns, Rugby – England Under 19s
- Honey Kerslake, Rugby – England Under 18s, Under 20s and Under 21s
- Rowan Turney, Rugby – England Under 18s
- Beth Hall, Rugby – England Under 18s
- Izzy Firth, Rugby – England Under 18s
- Lucy Sams, Rugby – England Under 18s
- Rose Powell Williams, Rugby – England Under 18s
- Ashton Stanczyk, Rugby – Poland Under 18s
Find out more about Sport Academies at Exeter College.
