Silver Fern balances netball and medicine

At 22, Silver Fern defender Catherine Hall has been named Sportswoman of the Year in the University of Auckland Blues Awards. The prestigious award honours a standout season that included a Commonwealth Games gold medal with the Silver Ferns, honours research and resilience in the face of injury.

The recognition comes after Hall stepped away from her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery studies in 2025 to complete a Bachelor of Medical Science (Honours) part-time over two years while continuing to compete at the highest level of netball.

That balancing act has unfolded against a backdrop of rapid success in the sport.

The former Baradene College dux progressed through regional and national development programmes before securing a full contract with the Northern Mystics. She went on to represent New Zealand age-group and development sides, made her Silver Ferns debut in 2025 and has since established herself in the national squad.

Even Hall has been surprised by the speed of her rise.

“I started university focused on my studies, and the netball opportunities just kept coming. I'm incredibly grateful for where it's led.

"I've put a lot into both my studies and my netball, so it's special to be recognised for both. It feels like two important parts of my life coming together."

This year's international season included New Zealand's Commonwealth Games campaign, in which Hall contributed to the Silver Ferns' gold-medal success. Her tournament was cut short by a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), preventing her from playing in the final stages.

"Any international experience is hugely valuable,” she says. “We spend most of the year competing against the same players, so facing different teams and styles pushes you out of your comfort zone and helps you develop as a player."

Despite her rapid rise through the sport, she says her motivations remain grounded in the values she learned growing up.

She credits her family with inspiring both her netball and medical ambitions.

"My mum was the reason I got into netball. Mum took me along to a little give-it-a-go session when I was young and I've loved it ever since. She later became a doctor, so it's funny that I've ended up following both those paths too."

Hall says her father's advice has remained constant throughout her career.

"There are times when things become stressful and competitive, but I always come back to why I started,” she says.

“I genuinely love playing. My dad has always told me before games, 'Go have fun', and that's something I've carried with me ever since."

One of her most memorable moments came when she made her Silver Ferns debut in front of family and friends in Auckland.

"Standing for the anthem with my family in the crowd was pretty surreal. I remember being nervous waiting on the bench, but once I got on court, it all settled down and felt like every game I'd played growing up."

Away from netball, she has spent the past two years analysing ACC data for her honours thesis, examining injury patterns in the sport.

"Netball isn't one of the most researched sports in the world, so it's been fascinating to work with such a large dataset. The more we looked, the more questions we uncovered. Hopefully, the research can contribute to a better understanding of injuries and help inform prevention efforts in the future."

The research took on added significance this season. Hall broke her foot during the domestic competition before fighting her way back to the Commonwealth Games, only to face another setback with an ACL injury.

"Getting back for the Commonwealth Games gave me a really clear goal to work towards every day. The ACL recovery is a much longer journey, but it's taught me to focus on the small wins and trust the process. Hopefully, in a year's time, I'll be able to look back and be proud of how I approached it."

Hall credits staff across the University with helping her balance the demands of elite sport and medical training.

“The University’s High Performance Support Programme has been invaluable throughout my studies and netball career,” she says. “I’ve also been incredibly fortunate to have Associate Professor Ali Mirjalili as my honours supervisor, who has been so understanding and supportive of my netball career.”

She expects to submit her honours thesis later this year before returning to fourth-year medical placements next year.

As she works towards a return to the court, she is also considering how her experiences in elite sport might influence her future career in medicine.

"I'd love to play for the Silver Ferns again, finish my medical degree and see where both paths take me,” she says.

“Sports medicine definitely appeals because it combines two things I'm passionate about, but for now I'm keeping an open mind."