27/11/2019
Champion of Champions Girls IndividualsCelebrating this past year in secondary school sport, a strong contingent of girls have excelled in their sports, both in individual sports and as part of teams and achieving higher honours. Below is a selection of these athletes from a wide variety of sports Erica Fairweather (Kavanagh College)
Last year Fairweather was the youngest athlete at the Youth Olympic Games. In June she qualified for the Women’s 400m Freestyle for the 2019 FINA World Championships in South Korea at the end of July, setting a new NZ 15 Years Age Record. At the same meet she placed first in the Women’s 200m Freestyle with a time of 1:59.37 seconds, another NZ 15 Years Age Record. The youngest competitor, Fairweather came 19th overall in the 200m freestyle in South Korea, and then teamed up with Carina Doyle, Chelsey Edwards and Eve Thomas to make up the NZ 200m freestyle relay team that qualified for the Olympics next year. In August, she won gold in the Final of the same event at the 2019 FINA World Junior Championships with a new PB of 1:57.96 seconds. Charlisse Leger-Walker (St Peter’s School, Cambridge) A busy end to the year for the St Peter’s School Cambridge head girl. First she led her school to its defence of the NZSS Secondary Schools National title and followed that with a Secondary Schools Netball National Championship the following week. That all came after a hectic three-week schedule which saw Leger-Walker rush back from the Tall Ferns Asia Cup campaign, held in India in late September. Most recently, she was in the Tall Ferns squad for their Olympic Qualifying series in Auckland. In February she attended the Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Global Camp in the USA. Then it was off to Europe where St Peter’s School came fifth at the ISF World Schools Championship at Crete. Leger-Walker was named to the Tournament All-Star Team. Next stop was another World event and again Leger-Walker was selected in the Tournament Team. New Zealand won silver at the FIBA 3x3 U18 World Cup in Mongolia. Come July it was Tall Ferns duty next for Leger-Walker as the New Zealand team headed to Japan for a pair of internationals followed by the William Jones Cup in Taiwan. Patricia Maliepo (Southern Cross Campus) A large contingent of schoolgirls were playing National Provincial Championship women’s rugby again this year, including Patricia Maliepo who was first five-eighth and goal-kicker for a young Auckland Storm side that reached the Farah Palmer Cup final. Maliepo played a full season for the Storm in her debut season, scoring 78 points in eight matches. The 16-year-old quickly found her feet at this level with a series of strong, mature performances. Also played a full season for her Marist club side that won the Auckland club title. Won the Most Promising Player award at the Auckland Rugby awards in October. Special mention to two players who played in the Top 4 tournament in September. Jorja Miller (Christchurch Girls’ High School) was our Player of the Tournament at the Top 4 tournament, despite being on the losing team in the final and lock Veisinia Fakalelu who scored three tries in the final for Hamilton Girls’ High School. Both players are returning to school in 2020. Sammie Maxwell (Tauhara College) A strong contingent of schoolgirls are excelling on two wheels - on the road, the track and off road. For this list, we have chosen Sammie Maxwell, who, as a role model for her community, was recently named the Taupo Sportswomen of the Year for 2019. The head girl of her school and the recently confirmed DUX of her school - could be excused for not being in class much this year. The New Zealand U19 cross country mountain biking champion spent several weeks travelling and competing in Europe, with success, and in August was 14th at the UCI World Junior cross country mountain biking championships in Canada. Grace Nweke (Avondale College) Crowned the top secondary schools player of 2019 at the NZ Netball Awards at the end of October. Started the season as a Mystics development player, playing in the Beko League for the Northern Marvels. This was soon upgraded to a fulltime contract with the Northern Mystics in April after being elevated to play for them in several ANZ Premiership Games and playing with distinction – including shooting 27 from 33 as a second half substitute on debut . International netball beckons for the 1.93m shooter, who has also competed in high jump in athletics. Tamara Otene (Westlake Girls’ High School) https://www.collegesportmedia.co.nz/volleyball/westlake-volleyballers-tam-otene-and-kaila-ru-preparing-for-test-series-against-australia Player of the Tournament at the North Island Secondary School Volleyball tournament and a leading player in the Westlake Girls’ High School team that defended their national title in Palmerston North in April. In May, she was selected in the Senior New Zealand team (along with school teammate Kaila Ru) that played – and beat – Australia in a three-test series in Wellington. Won the College Sport Auckland Volleyball accolade earlier this month. Also in the New Zealand U23 Women's Volleyball team and runner-up in the NZSS Beach Volleyball Championships. In Westlake's Premier netball team too, finishing third at the netball nationals. Sporting All-Rounder of the Year – Tamara Ote Kirstie Rae (Wellington East Girls’ College) https://www.collegesportmedia.co.nz/athleticsxc/rae-races-to-victory-in-nzss-cross-country-championships Won the Senior Girls NZSS cross country race in Timaru in June by 40 seconds. Helped her school also win both the three and six-person teams races. Followed that up by crossing the Tasman and winning the Australian U20 Women’s Cross Country Championships race. Earlier in the year, she competed at the World Junior Cross Country Championships in Denmark – finishing 17th (Africans filling the first 13 places). On the track last March, Rae won the Senior Girls 3000m in a new record time of 9.38.69 and breaking the 12-year record by 15 seconds at the Wellington Regional Championships. Alice Robinson (Whakatipu High School) https://www.collegesportmedia.co.nz/other/alice-robinson-on-top-of-the-world In March, at the season ending ending senior elite ski racing [FIS Alpine] World Cup Finals in Andorra, Alice finished second in the giant slalom and on the podium with current Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffren and current world champion Petra Vlhova. She was the youngest competitor in the field. This was New Zealand’s first World Cup medal in 17 years. This followed her win in the Junior World Championships. Last month she started her new season in emphatic style – beating Shiffren and winning the World Cup season-opening giant slalom. Phoebe Trolove (Craighead Diocesan School) https://www.collegesportmedia.co.nz/rowing/craighead-diocesan-school-preparing-for-maadi-cup-rowing-regatta 2019 U18 Single Sculls Maadi Cup champion and a member of the New Zealand women's quad that won gold at the 2019 Junior World Rowing Championships in Tokyo in August, with teammates, Southland Girls' High School's Shakira Mirfin, Bayfield High School's Eva Hofmans, and St Peter's School Cambridge’s Rebecca Leigh. Trolove won the South Island U18 single sculls title, before winning the gold medal at Maadi on Lake Karapiro with Hofmans second and Leigh third (and Mirfin winning the U17 race). Trolove also won silver in the girl’s U18 coxed quad with schoolmates Niki Clemens, Isabelle Bartlett, Emma Jarvie and Zoliekah Judd. At the start of this month, Trolove won the Aoraki Secondary Schools' female sportsperson of the year award for her achievements.
25/11/2019
Champion of Champions Boys IndividualsCelebrating this past year in secondary school sport, a strong contingent of boys have excelled in their sports, both in individual sports and as part of teams and achieving higher honours. Below is a selection of these athletes from a wide variety of sports.
Connor Bell (Westlake Boys’ High School) https://www.collegesportmedia.co.nz/athleticsxc/top-prospects-in-senior-boys-discus-in-this-years-nzss-championships Just last weekend, Connor Bell shattered his New Zealand U19 and U20 discus throw record with a massive 63.90m with the 1.75kg implement. This added over three metres to his previous record of 60.09m set on the North Shore in July this year. He broke the record with his second throw of 62.22m and improved to the 63.90m with his last round throw. The 2018 Youth Olympic Games gold medallist is eyeing up his New Zealand Secondary Schools’ title defence in early December, with a big summer and then big international meets to follow including the U20 World Championships in Kenya. Louie Ferigo (Sacred Heart College) - It was another stellar year for the all-conquering Sacred Heart College water polo team, winning the Auckland, North Island and National titles, while preserving their unbeaten three-year record. Sacred Heart have been National champions six times in the last decade. Louie Ferigo, an outstanding talent bound for the US collegiate system, was the driving force behind another unblemished season. A prolific goal scorer, with a huge engine and ability to create scoring chances for others, Ferigo was named College Sport Auckland Water Polo Player of the Year. Selected in the New Zealand Junior team playing in the FINA World Men’s Junior World Championships in Kuwait in December. Liam Lawson (Ex-Pukekohe High School) https://www.collegesportmedia.co.nz/other/liam-lawson-signs-with-red-bull-aged-17 On his 17th birthday earlier this year Liam Lawson signed a contract with the Red Bull Junior Team.He spent much of this year based in Europe and racing in the Formula European Masters series, and as one of nine Red Bull Junior drivers spent time around Formula One and their drivers Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly. Last NZ summer he won the Castrol Toyota Racing Series (TRS) and the New Zealand Grand Prix at Manfeild. Recently finished seventh at the prestigous Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix. Taine Murray (Rosmini College) - The Year 12 at Rosmini College created national headlines in August when he was named in the Tall Blacks squad for their World Cup warm-up tour to Japan and Australia, one of the youngest Tall Blacks selected in history. The 17-year-old stands at six-foot-four and has only been playing the game for three-years. Earlier in 2019, Murray was named to the Tournament Team at the U19 National Championships after helping North Harbour win the title. Additionally he was MVP at an NBA-sponsored camp in China and the College Sport Auckland Sportsman of the Year. Jason Nel (St Peter’s School, Cambridge) https://www.collegesportmedia.co.nz/rowing/successful-maadi-cup-for-jason-nel-and-st-peters-school Beat a strong field to win a convincing U18s boy’s single sculls victory in this year’s Maadi Cup on his home water at Lake Karapiro, after winning the NISS title. Beat Eric Gruythusen from Hauraki Plains and Tom Hall from King's College into second and third, with SISS champion Ben Mason just behind. Nel then partnered up with Patrick Griffin to win silver in the U18 Boy's Double, while also a crew member in the St Peter’s quad and eights boats that also made A finals. In August he was part of the NZ quadruple sculls crew that also included Mason that made their final (fourth fastest qualifiers) at the World Junior Rowing Championships in Japan. Edward Osei-Nketia (Scots College) The College Sport Wellington Sportsman of the year is New Zealand's fastest teenager, and the third fastest Kiwi sprinter of all time. Osei-Nketia highlighted his incredible potential as an athlete by storming home to win the senior men's 100m final at the Australian Athletics Championships in April. Osei-Nketia set a new personal best of 10.19 seconds in the semifinals - just 0.08 off his father's record - before returning to the Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre to win the final in 10.22 seconds (wind-adjusted from 10.24sec). Osei-Nketia ran 10.24 later in the year at the World Athletics Championships in Doha and has attracted the interest of rugby union scouts. Last weekend he was at the Red Bull Ignite Sevens development camp along with 95 other athletes. Laurence Pithie (Christchurch Boys’ High School) https://www.collegesportmedia.co.nz/bike/hard-work-and-resilience-paying-off-for-laurence-pithie A strong year in the saddle for the year 12 Canterbury rider, just last week winning the national men’s Criterium National Championships in his home town Christchurch. Earlier this month Pithie won his regions’ Zonta Award for male Individual Athlete of the Year. In the space of a few weeks this year he became a double world champion in the Omnium and Madison at the UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championships and second and then won all three U20 Boys titles on offer at the Cycling New Zealand Schools Road Championships. Nathan Xu (St Kentigern College) Since representing New Zealand in Table Tennis at the Youth Olympics just over a year ago Nathan Xu has gone from strength to strength. He has represented NZ, winning the Junior Oceania Singles title and the ITTF Senior Men’s Oceania Tournament. He is the Auckland U21 singles Champion and Auckland Open Men’s singles champion. He is the NZ U18 Boys Singles Champion, the U18 Boys Doubles Champion, Open Men's Singles Runner up, U21 Men's Singles Champion and U21 Mixed Doubles Champion. In 2019 he led the St Kent’s Premier Table Tennis team to win the Auckland Championship and Greater Auckland Championship. He also won the NZ Secondary Schools’ title. Ben Waine (Hutt International Boys’ School) In October the only school boy in the Wellington Phoenix had his contract upgraded from a scholarship deal to a fulltime contract, rich reward for a stellar season which saw Waine represent New Zealand at Under 20 and 23 level, earning a place in the Olympics next year in the later age group. Waine was a nominee for College Sport Wellington Sportsman of the year and easily won the CSW Football player of the year. The Champion of Champion series is not intended to be a definitive list of the ‘best’ athletes in each code, rather it celebrates a selection of the leading athletes and teams in each that College Sport Media has followed this year. Preference has gone to those individuals/teams that CSM has interviewed and profiled in 2019. Got a story? Email editor@collegesportmedia.com Celebrating some of the girls sports teams that have done well this year. Here are eight below.
Baradene College of the Sacred Heart First XI Football https://www.collegesportmedia.co.nz/football/back-to-back-nzss-football-titles-for-baradene Last year they were first time national champions, this year they successfully defended their title, at the annual Lotto Premier Tournament in Christchurch. There were eight players at nationals for the first time in this team, including five year nine and 10 players. Baradene put their win down to handling pressure and working well as a team. Baradene beat Auckland rivals Epsom Girls’ Grammar School on penalties in their semi-final and then beat Hamilton’s Hillcrest High School 2-0 in the final. Co-captains Hannah Pilley and Margaret Wood, while Prue Catton scored eight goals. Hamilton Girls’ High School First XV Rugby https://www.facebook.com/pg/NZSchoolgirlsrugby/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1623668387768594 The most dominant team at this year’s Top 4 tournament, Hamilton Girls’ High School defended their Hine Pounamu Trophy title with two emphatic wins over well-prepared and strong opposition. Hamilton GHS defeated Manukura 50-7 on day one. In the final they beat Christchurch Girls’ High School 58-7, 10 tries to one, racing to an early three-try lead. Lock Veisinia Fakalelu was a standout in the final with a top game and three tries to her name, while first five-eighth Kiriana Nolan controlled the attack. Nolan later made her Women’s NPC debut for Waikato. Rangiora High School Futsal https://www.collegesportmedia.co.nz/football/rangiora-high-school-and-st-kents-win-nzss-girls-futsal-titles Won an extremely hard-fought NZSS Senior Girls Futsal tournament in Wellington in March. Rangiora HS edged Hamilton’s Hillcrest High School 3-2 in a thriller in the final. Rangiora were deserved champions of the senior girls tournament, but not without playing three tough games on day two and amid drama in the closing stages of the final that almost went to a penalty shootout. Rangiora had led 2-0 at halftime in the senior final, through goals to Abbey Neilson and Madi Silcock and then protected a 2-1 lead following a goal to Hillcrest’s Chloe Henderson right up to the final two minutes of play. Henderson scored again to lock it up, but Rangiora through Madi Silcock found the back of the net one last time. Rangiora had defeated Wellington Girls’ College 5-1 in their quarter-final, in a closer match that the score suggested and then defeated Auckland’s Baradene College 7-3 in their semi-final. Rangiora’s captain Macey Fraser won both the golden boot award for scoring the most goals and the tournament MVP. St Peter’s School Netball https://www.collegesportmedia.co.nz/netball/team-culture-key-to-st-peters-netballs-nzss-tournament-success For the second time in three years, the first time participants were also the first time NZSS netball tournament champions. St Peter’s School, Cambridge, joined 2017 winners Howick College in winning their maiden title in their first attempt in the tournament in Nelson in October. St Peter’s went through the tournament unbeaten, beating 2016 winners Saint Kentigern College 35-31 in the final. Prior to the decider, St Peter’s had beaten Howick (41-25), Epsom Girls’ Grammar School (49-38)and Manukura (37-25) in knockout matches. The first Waikato school to win the title since 2003. St Cuthbert’s College First XI Hockey https://www.facebook.com/pg/collegesportmedia/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1186748921513304 Won their third Federation Cup NZSS hockey tournament since 2012 with a tense 1-0 win in the final over Christchurch Girls’ High School after scoring 40 goals in six wins en route to the decider. This included an 8-0 quarter-final win over St Andrew’s College and a 3-0 semi-final win over Auckland Diocesan School for Girls. Previously they beat Dio 5-1 in the final of the Auckland Supercity competition. The team provided three of the leading goal scorers at the Federation Cup tournament, with Breana Catley scoring 11 goals, Katie Doar nine and Sophie Hildesley eight. Defender Katie Doar also played for the Black Sticks this year and recently won the College Sport Auckland Supreme Sports award for 2019. St Margaret’s Rowing Eight Won the prestigious Levin Jubilee Cup for the U18 Eight at this year’s Maadi Cup rowing regatta, as part of an overall medal haul of three golds (also winning the U17 fours and U16 eights) and one silver (U18 pair). Beat local schools Waikato Diocesan and St Peter’s School Cambridge into second and third in the final on Lake Karapiro. Also won the SISS race, beating multiple winners Rangi Ruru. The winning winning crew was: Rosa Foster, Lucy Botting, Charlotte Darry, Anna Wilson, Kate Harris, Gaby McKellar, Emma Roberts, Sophie Lightbourne, and Claudia Bethell. This was their seventh Levin Jubilee Cup win overall and their first since in 2015. Won the Most Outstanding Girls Team award at Canterbury secondary sport’s recent Zonta Awards. Westlake Girls’ High School Volleyball https://www.facebook.com/pg/collegesportmedia/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1078551932333004 Westlake Girls' High School defended their NZSS Division 1 Girls volleyball crown in Palmerston North in late March, beating Otumoetai College 3-1 in the final, after beating Aorere College 3-1 in their quarterfinal and Trident High School 3-0 in their semi-final. Four Westlake players made the tournament team: Kaila Ru, Rachael Webster, Tamara Otene and Emme Shearer - who was named Tournament MVP. Westlake had also won the Auckland Secondary Schools Volleyball Championships, beating Aorere College 3-0 in the final and Tamara Otene the Player of the Tournament. Whangarei Girls’ High School Squash https://www.collegesportmedia.co.nz/other/maiden-nzss-squash-title-for-whangarei-girls-high-school Whangarei Girls’ High School won their maiden NZSS Squash Championships title in Tauranga in August. Whangarei GHS were top seeds heading into the tournament, but they had to be at their best to see off the other leading schools, who included recent champions Palmerston North Girls’ High School (third), Havelock North High School and Westlake Girls’ High School. Whangarei GHS beat Westlake Girls’ High School in their semi-final tie on Saturday and returned on Sunday to defeat Havelock North Girls’ High School in the final. The winning team was (seedings in brackets): Shea Ferguson (1), Pippa Saunders (2), Chelsea Traill (3), Ruby Collins (4), Amy Brown (5), Olivia Rhodes (6), Jordyn Chapman (7). Coach: Delwyn Houlihan. Manager: Justine Collins. The Champion of Champion series is not intended to be a definitive list of the ‘best’ athletes in each code, rather it celebrates a selection of the leading athletes and teams in each that College Sport Media has followed this year. Preference has gone to those individuals/teams that CSM has interviewed and profiled in 2019. Got a story? Email editor@collegesportmedia.com What if we had a Halberg award for the best College sports team during the year. Who would win? Normally in school sport it is relatively easy to find the top team within a code, but can you pick who has achieved more, when comparing codes?
Christchurch Boys’ High School Rowing Eight - Christchurch have been leading contenders to win the eight at the Maadi Cup for several years, but until April 2019 a win had remained elusive. It was the intention of the Christchurch crew to lead from the outset, but they slipped behind a determined Christ’s College. However Christchurch rallied and scored an inspiring victory. The full crew was: Scott Shackleton, Tom Fraser, Cameron Long, Ethan Alderlieste, Cameron Henderson, Angus Templeton, James Glover, Ben Brown and Tim Heritage. In addition to the Maadi Cup, Christchurch rowers won an additional seven gold medals at the regatta. Won the Most outstanding team award at the Canterbury school sports Zonta Awards recently. Hastings Boys' High School First XV Rugby - For the second time in three years, Hastings won the National Top Four championship when they defeated King's College, Auckland 27-14 in the final. Unlike 2017 (when Hastings was unbeaten) the 2019 class did it the hard way. After six consecutive wins in the Super 8, Hastings was beaten in consecutive weekends by Hamilton Boys' High School to finish second. Hastings recovered to thrash St Patrick’s College, Silverstream (37-10) and Palmerston North Boys' High School (45-15) to capture the Hurricanes Regional title and set up a rematch with Hamilton at Nationals. Remarkably Hamilton stumbled at this stage of the season for a second year in a row by a point, propelling Hastings into their third National final in four years. In wet, cold and windy conditions, Hastings led from start to finnish in clinically defeating the Blues Regional champions. Hastings overall record in 2019 was 18-3, but remarkably they didn’t have a single selection in the New Zealand Schools’ team which lost to Australia. Hastings success shows little sign of slowing. They also won National Under 15 title, defeating Hamilton in the final. King’s High School First XI Hockey - The King's High School First XI became the first team from Otago to win the Rankin Cup, defeating Timaru Boys' High School 2-0 in the final, after beating Saint Kentigern College 5-3 (1-1 at fulltime) in a semi-final penalty shootout. Inconceivably King's lost two local games this season, the first time that’s happened in many years! It proved to be a wakeup call the team needed, building a defensive fortress that only conceded four goals at Nationals. A Rankin Cup title was great reward for Dave Ross who has been coaching at King’s for 30 years and exceptional captain Ethan Booth. Mount Albert Grammar School Senior Squash - The MAGS Premier Squash team made history when they won the National Secondary Schools title for the first time in Tauranga. MAGS had lost to Auckland Grammar School in the decider nine years, but reversed that result by defeating hosts and defending champions Tauranga Boys’ College in the final. MAGS only dropped one of 24 games in the whole tournament. The full squad was: Max Conder, Mason Smales, Tarin Love, Jack Conder (Captain), Arnd Arelmann, Jaeswen Kwan and Hasan Pathan. Coach Michael Blanchard was in the MAGS team that lost to Auckland Grammar Sacred Heart College First XI Football - Sacred Heart may have lost their vice like grip on the Auckland Premiership, but their true class was evident in September when they held their nerve to beat Auckland Grammar School 2-1 in extra time in the National final and later added the Auckland Knockout Cup to their trophy cabinet. The telling strike in Sacred Heart's fifth national title in the past nine years was a penalty in the first-half of extra time by Riwai Stanton. Campbell Strong was a standout in the final, and he went on to win the College Sport Auckland Football award last week. Saint Kentigern College Basketball - St Kent’s won their first National title, ending Rosmini’s stranglehold on the crown. A powerhouse performance by Shalom Broughton (24 points and 23 rebounds) broke open a close final in the final two quarters. Broughton was the tournament MVP, while Alex McNaught and Levick Kerr both also made the tournament team. St Kent’s had hinted they were national championship quality earlier in the season when they reached the Auckland final, narrowly losing to Rangitoto College by three points before reversing that result in the Zone I decider. St Kent’s have been coached for some time by Aaron Jones. Sacred Heart College First XI Football - Sacred Heart may have lost their vice like grip on the Auckland Premiership, but their true class was evident in September when they held their nerve to beat Auckland Grammar School 2-1 in extra time in the National final and later added the Auckland Knockout Cup to their trophy cabinet. The telling strike in Sacred Heart's fifth national title in the past nine years was a penalty in the first-half of extra time by Riwai Stanton. Campbell Strong was a standout in the final, and he went on to win the College Sport Auckland Football award last week. Tauranga Boys’ College, Underwater Hockey - Won a three-peat of NZSS Underwater Hockey titles at the national tournament in Wellington in September. With three U19 Men’s team world champion players in their squad in Thomas Holdom (year 12), Aidan Heath (year 12) and Zac Howe (year 13) Tauranga Boys’ College won a tense final over Glendowie Cowie 2-1 after leading 1-0 at halftime. They also had wins over Glendowie (2-0), Mahurangi College (8-0), Hutt International Boys’ School (4-1), Nelson College (4-1) and Howick College (3-1) en route to the final. Unlike the previous two years, Tauranga also won the national title after not winning the North Island tournament, finishing runners-up to Howick College. Wellington College First XI Cricket - For the first time since 1996 a school from the capital became National champions after a dramatic run in Christchurch in December 2018. Wellington lost the local final to Hutt International Boys' School, but reversed that result in the regional decider before winning four out of five games at the Lincoln University turf. Wellington outplayed 2017 winners Christchurch Boys' High School, but most dramatically took four wickets for a single run to stun Auckland champions, King's College. Dylan Sharma, Harry Hunter and Tim Robinson were in the top four leading wicket takers at Nationals while the team also featured head prefect Ollie Petersen. Wellington have requalified for the 2019 Nationals in December. The annual College Sport Media Champion of Champion series is not intended to be a definitive list of the ‘best’ athletes in each code, rather it celebrates many of the leading athletes and teams in each that College Sport Media has followed this year. Preference has gone to those individuals/teams that CSM has interviewed and profiled in 2019. Got a story? Email editor@collegesportmedia.com Taking top honours at the recent New Zealand Badminton YONEX NZ National Championships, ACG Parnell College student, Daniel Hu, won both the singles and doubles titles in the Boys Under 15 division.
Daniel has been playing competitive badminton for four years and this remarkable success marks the high point of his athletic career so far. Representing Auckland at the event, he encountered some formidable opponents on the court throughout the four-day competition, and believes the Singles final was his toughest contest to date. “The Boy’s Under 15 Singles finals was the most challenging aspect of the tournament due to my opponent being physically stronger than me” Daniel reports. “I think I won most of my points by controlling the pace of the rallies as well as taking control of the net.” A huge fan of the game, Daniel explains how he enjoys his time on court, regardless of whether he’s competing or simply practising the basics. “I enjoy learning new techniques as well as polishing existing ones. Moving around the court and retrieving the shuttle is enjoyable for me. The badminton community is very nice. The coaches, as well as the players, are all very supportive.” This talented athlete has his eyes firmly set on the future and believes his current success will help prepare him for upcoming pursuits. With plans to develop and extend his badminton skills, Daniel advises that his next sporting goal is to win the Under 17s National Title. “I don’t plan on stopping badminton anytime soon” he says. Story courtesy of ACG Parnell College , It’s secondary school sport’s awards season around the country, with the leading sports achievers currently being recognised throughout the regions that administer secondary school sport.
Napier Girls’ High School’s Black Sticks hockey player Kaitlyn Cotter won the Hawke’s Bay Supreme Award last week. Similarly, Whangarei Boys' and Girls’ High School’s squash player Vette-Blomquist and water ski champion Courtney Williams won the respective boys and girls Northland overall honours. Cyclists, Burnside High School's Sami Donnelly won the sportswoman category and Christchurch Boys’ High School’s Lawrence Pithie won the sportsman category at the annual Zonta Awards in Canterbury. Other awards such as Auckland (14 November), Southland (this coming Thursday), Wellington (this coming Sunday) and Taranaki (15 November) are coming up, with nominations having been made. We take a look at Wellington below, where the finalists will be announced this Thursday ahead of the awards ceremony at Te Rauparaha Arena, Porirua. Two features of the Wellington awards this year are the re-introduction of the Sports Hall of Fame and the apparent evenness of some of the awards. There will be 10 new inductees into the Hall of Fame which features high achieving retired athletes who attended a Wellington secondary school. This makes the field broad and exceptional, but All Black Cory Jane, All Whites and Phoenix stalwarts Tim Brown and Leo Bertos and former World Mountain running champion Melissa Moon must be among the contenders. In several categories, including the overall boys and girls Supreme Award categories, there appears to be fewer obvious winners than in recent years. Past supreme gong winners have largely picked themselves, with recent winners such as Amelia Kerr (currently with the Brisbane Heat cricket team), Daniel Hillier (recently turned professional golfer) and Lewis Clareburt (Commonwealth Games swimming medallist), Liberato Cacace (All Whites and current Phoenix footballer) clear-cut winners. Taking into account that success on the international stage is the most important consideration, then perhaps jumping out of the blocks as a favourite in the boys category is Clareburt’s Scots College alumni Edward Osei-Nketia, who recently represented New Zealand at the Senior World Championships after earlier winning both the NZ and Australian 100m titles. Osei-Nketia’s stiffest competition for the Supreme Boys award could come from Hutt International Boys’ School footballer Ben Waine. Waine was a member of the NZ U20 football team that played in Poland this year, is a member of the NZ U23 squad and made his Phoenix debut earlier this year. The overall girls category winners could be between two individual sports girls, trumping others in team sports such as football and netball. Wellington East Girls’ College’s Kirstie Rae would be a frontrunner, having won the New Zealand Secondary School cross country championships, and also taken out the Australian U20 cross country title and competing at the World Junior Cross Country Championships in Denmark. Earlier in the year she broke the CSW Senior Girls 3000m record on the track. Chilton St James swimmer Chelsey Edwards appears to be another fancied supreme accolade girls contender, having broken six long-standing Wellington age group records, winning multiple golds at schools, short course and long course swimming meets and part of the NZ team at the Fina World Swimming Championships in July. Onslow College’s national U18 champion and world ranked junior table tennis player Hui Ling Vong should be in the mix as well. What about other individual code winners? Of the boys rugby union nominees, three players stand out as contenders, Aotea College’s Ropati So'oalo, HIBS’ Harrison Press and Scots College’s Roderick Solo. Front rower Press was a recent member of the Barbarians Schools’ squad, while So’aolo is clearly one of the leading schoolboy rugby players in Wellington but failed to gain higher recognition in 2019 where as Solo was in the NZ Schools’ team and made the tournament team after last December’s Condor 7s nationals. Earlier this year, Solo jumped 6.78m to break the CSW Senior Boys Long Jump record and also won the regional triple jump and 110m hurdles titles, but is not nominated in either the athletics or all-rounder of the year categories indicating he will be the rugby winner. Newlands College halfback and NZ Maori U18 representative Milley Mackey and Aotea College and Northern United club player Harmony Hunter could be frontrunners to win the girls rugby accolade this year. A new netball winner will be found after Wellington East’s Tiana Metarau won this in recent years. St Mary’s Beko League champion shooter Saviour Tui could be a frontrunner there. Queen Margaret College’s Paris Lokotui is one of several other strong netball nominees, with Lokotui also a basketball nominee (and a gun sevens rugby player as she showed on Monday) and a finalist of the girls all-rounder award. Futsal continues to grow, with Raphael Le'ai (Scots College) and Natalie Olson (Wellington East) likely frontrunners to win their awards. Both are accomplished footballers as well, with Le'ai the golden boot winner (9 goals) at the NZSS Football nationals and Olson helping her WEGC team to a creditable seventh at the NZSS Nationals. Ben Waine (HIBS, above) and Wellington Girls’ College and NZ U17 footballer Charlotte Wilford-Carroll could be frontrunners to win the football. Cricket winners this year could go to St Pat’s Silverstream’s NZ U19 player Ryan Jackson and Queen Margaret’s Wellington Blaze squad member Xara Jetly. Scots College’s Boston Bright could have the credentials to win the boys bike category, although his school mate and recent NZSS Downhill mountain bike champion Albert Snep hasn’t been nominated. Kapiti College sisters Kate and Millie Day are both up for the girls cycling gongs. To view the full awards nominees in Wellington go HERE
15/10/2019
Campbell Wright selected for OlympicsBiathlon athlete Campbell Wright has been named to the New Zealand Team for the Lausanne 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games. The 17-year-old from Lake Hawea and Mount Aspiring College is the first athlete to be selected to the team, which will contest the Games from January 9th to 22nd. Wright will compete in both the 7.5km sprint distance and the 12.5km individual distance at the Games. “I’m pretty happy to say the least, it’s going to be awesome to be part of the New Zealand Team and I can't wait to compete in Lausanne,” said Wright. Biathlon combines the power of cross-country skiing and the precision of rifle shooting in a timed race, where missed shots in the shooting component result in distance or time penalties. Wright began cross country skiing at a young age and started competing in biathlon in 2017. “I liked cross country skiing and so my coach Luca Boromilili basically just said why don’t you have a go at biathlon and it went from there.” "I'm stronger at the skiing so I'm working hard to improve my shooting. The trick is not to overcook yourself before you get to the range, you need to chill and get your heart rate down before you start trying to hit the targets." Wright spends the European winters training in Italy and competing around Europe. When in New Zealand he trains at Snow Farm and says he gets a real buzz from the sport. “I love it, it’s definitely unique and I get a pretty awesome feeling when I’m out there doing it.” Wright was named Snow Sports New Zealand cross country skier of the year in 2016. Earlier this year, he placed third in his age group at the Alpencup in Ridnaun, Italy. It was the first time a New Zealand biathlon athlete had ever podiumed at a major European biathlon event. New Zealand Olympic Committee CEO Kereyn Smith extended her congratulations to Wright. “Campbell has put in a lot of hard work to reach this point, he leaves for Italy later this week and will be continuing to train rigorously in the build-up to the Games. “We look forward to seeing him represent New Zealand in Lausanne in January.” Angus Cagney has been conditionally selected as a non-travelling reserve. Around 15 New Zealand athletes are expected to compete at Lausanne 2020. 11 New Zealand athletes competed at the previous edition of the Winter Youth Olympic Games, with four of those athletes going on to compete at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games. Campbell Wright biography Age at Games: 17 High School: Mt Aspiring College Ethnicity: NZ European Career highlight: 3rd place, Alpine Cup How did you get into your sport: My coach Luca Boromilili got me into it. I liked cross country skiing and so he basically just said why don’t you have a go at biathlon and it went from there. What do you love about the sport: There’s something about it, you get a great feeling from it and it’s quite a unique sport. About the Lausanne 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games Around 15 athletes are expected to make up the New Zealand Team for the Lausanne 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games. 1800 athletes aged 15 to 18 will compete in eight sports from the 9th until the 22nd of January 2020 as part of the Games. The athletes will compete across Switzerland, and neighbouring France, enabling many regions to be a part of the Olympic spirit. 11 New Zealand athletes competed at the previous edition of the Winter Youth Olympic Games, winning two medals. Four of the athletes went on to be selected for the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games. Waikato claimed their first National Scholastic Surfing Championships title in eleven years today (Friday 11th October 2019) with the team claiming two of seven titles and boasting six surfers in the finals.
The five-day event wrapped up at Manu Bay, Raglan in the biggest surf of the week with a solid 1.5m swell and light onshore winds, the morning rain giving way to clear skies in the afternoon. Waikato took the points lead early on the final day after a battle with Taranaki and Auckland who finished in second and third respectively. Waikato eventually surged ahead with close to a 1,000 point lead. The points difference between second through sixth was just 300 points, the equivalent of one placing in any of the finals. Waikato’s two titles came from Kora Cooper in the Under 16 Boys Division and Navryn Malone in the Under 14 Boys Division. Taranaki and Canterbury also claimed two titles apiece and the regions both shared the coveted Under 18 Division titles which went to Tom Butland (Tara) and Estella Hungerford (Chch). Butland surfed up a division at the event allowing his team to have a more even spread of athletes and the tactical decision paid off for Taranaki. “I’m pretty stoked aye, I wasn’t expecting to make the Under 18 Boys Final, everyone is so good in this division” said Butland. Butland was trailing for much of the heat but posted an 8.15 point ride taking off 15 seconds before the hooter and his score not coming through until after the heat had finished flipping the final on its head. “I asked Luke Griffin how much time there was left and Caleb what score I needed, I didn’t really know how long was left so I just gave it my all, I had really weak legs when I took off on that last wave, I was really nervous but I was pretty happy to clutch up and win” said Butland. Butland’s wave pushed Caleb Cutmore (Rag) back into second place with Luke Griffin (Mnt) in third and Neko Tohiariki (Chch) in fourth. Estella Hungerford put on a commanding performance in the Under 18 Girls Division Final finishing with a 16.0 point heat total, well out of reach for her opponents. “I’m pretty stoked, I still can’t really believe it. I didn’t have much confidence going into this national event but the win is awesome and it will help me out going into the World Junior Championships at the end of the month too, so I’m looking forward to it now” said Hungerford. Her big heat total came by way of some aggressive surfing in the big waves early in the heat. “I hadn’t caught a wave then, so I was a bit stressed but I managed to land that big turn so I was stoked. I still can’t really believe it, it’s crazy, I didn’t really know I could surf like that in a comp” she added. Hungerford’s opponents had to battle for the minor placings with Kai Woolf (Rag) claiming the runner up position ahead of Georgia Wederell (Mnt) in third and Gabrielle Paul (Auck) in fourth. Kora Cooper (Rag) and Natasha Gouldsbury (Tara) claimed the Under 16 Division titles, Cooper having a good battle with Tom Robinson (Whngrei) who placed second. Gouldsbury fought hard against Brie Bennett (Rag), holding down a slender lead for much of the final. In the youngest divisions, Navryn Malone used his knowledge of Manu Bay to edge past Ryder Pennington (Tara) for the win while Ava Henderson (Chch) ran away with the Under 14 Girls Division title. Auckland took two finalists into the longboard final and walked away with a first and a third, Ben Counsell getting the nod over Billy Whelan (Nrthlnd), Natt Fitt finishing in third and Sonny Eades (Mnt) finishing in fourth place. The Adam Clegg Breakthrough Performance of the Event Award went to Ava Henderson (Chch) and Kalani Louis (Tara). Henderson was dominant throughout the week and took it all the way to the final with her first scholastic title. Louis also advanced through to the final of the Under 14 Boys Division and placed third behind Navryn Malone (Rag) and Ryder Pennington (Tara). Please see below for final results from the 2019 National Scholastic Surfing Championships completed at Manu Bay, Raglan today (Friday 11th October). Team Points 1, Waikato, 8463 2, Taranaki, 7485 3, Auckland, 7305 4, Canterbury, 7265 5, Bay of Plenty, 7233 6, Northland, 7213 7, Gisborne, 6289 8, West Coast, 5133 9, Coromandel, 4959 10, Wellington, 4503 11, Hawkes Bay, 4025 Under 18 Boys Division Quarterfinals Heat 1 Caleb Cutmore (Ham), 16.4, 1, Neko Tohiariki (Chch), 10.5, 2, Taylor O'Leary (Mur), 9, 3, Billy Gilbert (Nrthlnd), 6.35, 4 Heat 2 Luke Griffin (Mnt), 13.75, 1, Tom Butland (Tara), 12.25, 2, Luis Southwood (Whaka), 8.46, 3, Josh Sheridan (Nel), 6.8, 4 Heat 3 Max Brunker (Nrthlnd), 7.55, 1, Cassidy Mann (Auck), 7.36, 2, Jack Lee (Whaka), 6.75, 3, William Van der Beek (Mnt), 6.15, 4 Under 18 Boys Division Semifinals Heat 1 Caleb Cutmore (Ham), 17.9, 1, Tom Butland (Tara), 12.75, 2, Cassidy Mann (Auck), 7.75, 3 Heat 2 Luke Griffin (Mnt), 11.8, 1, Neko Tohiariki (Chch), 8.25, 2, Max Brunker (Nrthlnd), 5.75, 3 Under 18 Boys Division Final Tom Butland (Tara), 16.4, 1, Caleb Cutmore (Ham), 16.0, 2, Luke Griffin (Mnt), 11.7, 3, Neko Tohiariki (Chch)11.5, 4 Under 16 Boys Division Final Heat 1 Kora Cooper (Rag), 13.75, 1, Tom Robinson (Whngrei), 11.95, 2, Myka Black (Chch), 9.95, 3, Finn Vette (Gis), 9.55, 4 Under 14 Boys Division Final Navryn Malone (Rag), 13.9, 1, Ryder Pennington (Tara), 13, 2, Kalani Louis (Tara), 9.25, 3, Izaak Hayes (Whngrei), 9.15, 4 Under 18 Girls Division Semifinals Heat 1 Kai Woolf (Rag), 14.25, 1, Gabrielle Paul (Auck), 10.4, 2, Stella Smith (Gis), 7.8, 3 Heat 2 Georgia Wederell (Mnt), 10.36, 1, Estella Hungerford (Chch), 9.75, 2, Tegen Bishop (Chch), 5.7, 3 Under 18 Girls Division Final Estella Hungerford (Chch), 16.0, 1, Kai Woolf (Rag), 10.4, 2, Georgia Wederell (Mnt), 8.4, 3, Gabrielle Paul (Auck), 6.75, 4 Under 16 Girls Division Semifinals Heat 1 Natasha Gouldsbury (Tara), 10.75, 1, Leah Wilson (Chch), 9, 2, Hannah King (Gis), 7.6, 3, Daizee Rawles (Gis), 6.46, 4 Heat 2 Brie Bennett (Rag), 13, 1, Ariana Shewry (Tara), 10.15, 2, Liv Haysom (Piha), 8.65, 3, Alice Westerkamp (Auck), 8.25, 4 Under 16 Girls Division Final Natasha Gouldsbury (Tara), 11.25, 1, Brie Bennett (Rag), 10.25, 2, Ariana Shewry (Tara), 7.5, 3, Leah Wilson (Chch), 6.3, 4 Under 14 Girls Division Final Ava Henderson (Chch), 12.75, 1, Anna Brock (Mnt), 8.5, 2, Amelie Brady (Mnt), 4.4, 3, Luka Glover (Rag), 0.04, 4 Under 18 Longboard Division Final Ben Counsell (Auck), 13.1, 1, Billy Whelan (Nrthlnd), 10.65, 2, Nat Fitt (Auck), 9.85, 3, Sonny Eades (BOP), 6.3, 4 The National Scholastic Surfing Championships began in 1989. The event, which has unearthed two generations of top Kiwi talent, takes place all week at the famed Manu Bay location, home to the perfect left-hand point break.
28/9/2019
NZ Alpine Youth Champions CrownedThe 2019 Snowvision NZ Alpine Youth Champions were crowned yesterday (Friday 27 September) after two full-on days of Slalom, Super-G and Giant Slalom racing at Cardrona Alpine Resort. The titles were awarded to:
Mikayla Smyth and Alex Jackson carried their winning form from day one’s Slalom to deliver winning runs in the Super-G and Giant Slalom and claim their respective titles. Mikayla tied for first place in the U16 Super-G with Olivia Flight (Queenstown Alpine Ski Team), and in the Giant Slalom came from behind to overtake first run U16 women’s leader Helena Knight (QAST) for the age group win after run two. Hemi Meikle (Team TC) also showed his consistency across all three disciplines, taking out the U14 men’s championship title. As well as topping his age category in every race, Hemi recorded the third fastest time overall in the Super-G and fourth fastest in Slalom and GS. Ruby Fullerton put down to two strong runs in the Slalom for a convincing win in the U14 category. The Super-G was a hotly contested race, with first racer out of the gate Charlotte Wiggins (CAST) coping well with challenging soft snow conditions and laying down the fastest run amongst U14 girls. Only hundreds of a second separated Brooke Hutchison (CAST) in second and Ruby in third. The afternoon’s GS saw Ruby back on winning form, topping the U1 women’s podium, Charlotte Wiggins in second and Coco Shale (CAST) third. A prizegiving was held at the Cardrona Hotel after racing yesterday and the four champions will be presented with their cups at the Snow Sports NZ Annual Awards ceremony being held this evening. The Alpine Youth Championships were added to the calendar this year as part of Snow Sports NZ’s strategy to provide a better youth development pathway for Alpine ski racing. The event will be followed by the Snowvision NZ Alpine Youth Camp for qualified participants. Following the camp, the Snowvision NZ Alpine Youth Squad will be announced. These athletes will be ranked and offered quota spots at Youth International Alpine competitions in the upcoming northern hemisphere season. Day one Slalom footage HERE New Zealand is the leading underwater hockey country in the world, having recently annexed three of the four divisions at the World Age Group Underwater Hockey Championships in England – the U19 Men’s and the U19 and U24 Women’s titles. With three U19 Men’s team world champion players in their squad, Tauranga Boys’ College are now the three-time New Zealand Secondary Schools Senior Open champions, retaining the title at Kilbirnie Pool in Wellington this past weekend. Unlike the two previous years, it wasn’t all calm waters heading into this year’s championships, as captain Thomas Holdom explained. “In the past two years that we had won the NZSS tournament we had also taken out the North Island qualifiers, but we came second this year to Howick College,” Thomas told College Sport Media. “So this added more pressure on the team to perform this weekend. We had a bit of a rough start, but the team kept on improving and we finished with our best game.” Thomas Holdom (year 12), Aidan Heath (year 12) and Zac Howe (year 13) were the three New Zealand U19 players in Tauranga’s winning team. Tauranga beat Glendowie College 2-1 in the final, who featured one New Zealand player, after winning all their previous games over the tournament that included wins over Glendowie (2-0), Mahurangi College (8-0), Hutt International Boys’ School (4-1), Nelson College (4-1) and Howick College (3-1). The final against Glendowie College was a repeat of the 2018 decider and was a hard-fought affair. Tauranga led 1-0 at halftime. “We got a goal about five minutes in, after an early disallowed goal. It then stalemated for the rest of the first half, and then early in the second half we scored a second goal to go 2-0 up.” The second half remained on tenterhooks. “With 1 minute and 45 seconds to go they put a goal on us. So I told the team that we are going to go and put it up in their half and not let it out and that is exactly what we did until fulltime.” Tauranga also played the final two minutes a player down, with a player sin-binned for a free-arming offence. There are six players in the pool at any one time, with a revolving four-player substitutes bench, so to lose a player for two minutes is potentially a big blow. Tauranga’s winning 10-player team comprised three year 11 players, five year 12s and two year 13s. The two year 13s, Zac Howe and James Robinson, are the two players in the squad that have won the NZSS title three years in a row, while captain Thomas previously won the Junior NZSS title in 2016 an 2017, before winning the senior title these past two years. Tauranga’s juniors didn’t qualify this year for nationals, with a team made up of mostly new players they have been in rebuilding mode in 2019. Unlike in bigger regions such as Wellington, there is no school underwater hockey competition in the Bay of Plenty, so Tauranga’s players play club underwater hockey. “All of the Tauranga Boys’ College players play for the Tauranga club as well. We have two team trainings a week and one club night a week. “The only time we really get to play other schools is at these big tournaments, or occasionally Trident High School comes over from Whakatane to our club night.” Tauranga Boys’ College has a strong water sports culture, as well as land-based pursuits, but generally the underwater hockey players stick to their sport. “I used to play badminton and football, but underwater hockey has absorbed all of my time now.” For good reason too, Thomas and eight other players that were playing in the NZSS tournament last week for Tauranga and other schools recently spent three weeks in August at the Junior World Championships in Sheffield, England. “We played 16 games over 10 games and we won all of our games. We beat Great Britain 8-2 in our final and we beat Spain 3-2 in our semi-final.” “We had a big crowd of both local UK supporters and New Zealand supporters with three other teams involved.” Coming up next are the national club championships in Wellington in early October, followed by the inter-zone U18 tournament in Auckland at the end of November. Meanwhile, South Island champions Nelson School for Girls beat Otumoetai College in the Senior Girls NZSS final, Nelson College beat Glendowie College in a sudden death Junior Boys final and Marsden Collegiate School defeated Epsom Girls’ Grammar School in the Junior Girls decider. Tauranga Boys’ College 2019 Senior Boys NZSS Underwater Hockey team: Aidan Heath (year 12, NZU19 Representative) Caleb Cooper (year 12) Carter Ormsby (year 11) Christopher Maine (year 12) Daniel Maine (year 12) James Robinson (year 13) Parker Davis (year 11) Theo Lafont (year 11) Thomas Holdom (year 12, Captain, NZU19 Representative) Zac Howe (year 13, Vice-Captain, NZU19 Representative) Ben Tortoiseshell (year 11, injured and didn’t play this year) Kenrick Knowlson (Coach) Sarah Tortoiseshell (Manager) |
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