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This year again, DEAC (Debreceni Egyetemi Atlétikai Club) honoured the best sporting achievements of the previous season. At the club’s traditional end-of-season gala, awards were handed out in 17 categories. Volleyball is the division of the year, and the athlete of the year is horse rider Gábor Szabó Jr.
The DEAC men’s volleyball team had a historic season. The team reached the top four in Extraliga. In the end, the club did not win a medal, but with its fourth place, the club achieved its best ever result. At the gala, they were therefore awarded the division of the year title. “It’s very nice to receive all the praise and I would say we were prepared to give our fans something good, something good to celebrate. That was more or less successful, but we would have liked to have done even better. I hope that we can do it one day,” Head Coach of DEAC Antal Fodor said.
“At the gala, the best of the season were awarded in 17 categories. The most popular spectator sports performed more modestly last season, but several smaller sports, such as chess, equestrian, karate and fencing, also performed well at international level,” CEO of DEAC pointed out.
“We have gained a lot of recognition, this was also expressed by the sports administration by giving the club special support as a prominent rural club, which otherwise provides an opportunity to develop these departments, where there is no TAO support. It helps a lot to achieve such results for our athletes, where the support was not so high before”, Marianna Lóczi Lászlóné Kovács highlighted.
“The past season was all about calm operation at DEAC, maintaining the club costs about HUF three billion annually, to which the university, the city and the economic actors also contribute,“ Chancellor Zoltán Bács said. “What we have created here at the university in the past twenty years in terms of system building and operation, with the athletes, coaches, professionals and those providing background services, is also an innovation, an innovation that is unique in Hungarian higher education”, the Chancellor emphasised.
“Debrecen is the nation’s sports city, which requires the cooperation of allies, such as DEAC, whose mission is not only to enhance the reputation of the city, but also the University of Debrecen,“ Deputy Mayor Lajos Barcsa underlined. “I think the University of Debrecen did very well to choose the path, perhaps a little in the American way, of viewing sports as a key sector. As a result, the name of the University of Debrecen has become and continues to become known not only in the country, but also at European level,“ the Deputy Mayor said. He added that Debrecen would co-host the European University Games in July, thus bringing the cream of the continent’s university athletes to the city.
Award winners for the 2023/2024 season:
Athlete of the Year: Gábor Szabó Jr.
Team of the Year: men’s volleyball team
Division of the Year: football
Coach of the Year: László Dávid
Surprise of the Year: Shotokan karate junior team
Young Talent of the Year: DEAC chess player Beáta Biró
Most popular division of the year: cheerleaders
Emerging Sport of the Year: recreational sports division
Junior Team of the Year: DVSC-DEAC U14 girls’ team
Team of nations: women’s rugby team
Fair Play Award: Péter Árvai
DEAC University Student Athlete of the Year: Sugár Battai
DEAC Mentoring Organisation of the Year: University of Debrecen, Faculty of Economics
Communications Employee of the Year: Daniella Nyitrai
DEAC Mentor of the Year: Éva Bácsné Bába
DEAC Corporate Partner of the Year: GE Hungary Kft.
Employee of the Year: Fanni Beregszászi and Dóra Beregszászi
Source:debrecen.hu
