Charles Sturt University (CSU) may be the University of Inland Australia but that hasn’t stopped one of its students excelling at the recent Australian University Surfing Championships held at Narrow Neck on Queensland’s Gold Coast from Monday 7 to Wednesday 9 July. Ms Lisa Matuzelis, a ‘natural’ stance surfer (ie left foot forward) from Wollongong who is studying for a Master of Applied Science (Library & Information Management) by distance education, won a gold medal in the women’s body board event and a silver medal in the women’s short board (stand-up) event. The contest was held in excellent conditions with a solid three foot swell and good banks which offered both left and right hand breaks. “The competition was good and very close, and I am happy with my outcome, which was better than I expected,” Ms Matuzelis said. “I have enjoyed studying with CSU, and although at times it can be a little challenging studying by distance education, it does seem to get easier each year. The best part of being a distance education student is that I can still live near the coast and complete a degree from a university that is far from any beach.”