Messenger Community News names its top 20 emerging SA athletes to watch in 2018
MEET the SA youngsters who Messenger Community News’ sports team think you should keep an eye on in 2018.
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THEY compete on two wheels, basketball, netball, volleyball and tennis courts, soccer pitches, football fields, the pool, the track, the diamond, the fairway, the open water and the ring.
Messenger Community News’ annual list of emerging sports stars to watch includes names who have shone on the international, national or state stages over the past 12 months.
Last year’s list included Ebony Marinoff, who went on to win the inaugural AFLW Rising Star award, Molly Farmer, last month’s women’s Bay Sheffield Gift champion and eventual Messenger School Sports Award winner Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz.
Here are the 20 local athletes to watch for 2018.
RYDER WOODROW (BMX)
HIS parents say they didn’t name him because of a love of motorbikes – but Ryder Woodrow is making a name for himself on two wheels. Ryder claimed gold in the 50cc 7-9 years category at the Junior SA Motocross Championship last year in his debut season of competition racing but was unable to cap his rapid rise with a gold at the junior national titles in Horsham because of a broken arm.
HANNAH HANK (BASKETBALL)
THE Central District basketballer has her older brother to thank for a standout 2017. She helped the Lions break a 12-month losing streak in the women’s SA Basketball League and impressed at the national under-18 championships. Hannah credits countless backyard battles with her brother Brent, who plays for US college side University of Albany, for helping fast-track her development.
PACIFIQUE NIYONGABIRE (SOCCER)
THE Elizabeth Downs teenager has gone from a refugee camp in Tanzania after fleeing war-torn Burundi to breaking into Adelaide United’s under-21 team. He was selected to play for United’s underage side on the back of a breakout season for the Gawler Eagles in 2016, when he netted 41 goals.
ASHLEE SCHOENE (ROWING)
LESS than three years ago, the Hope Christian College student had only been in a kayak on school camps and when being towed by her dad. But she was spotted by a talent scout and represented Australia in the Olympic Hopes Regatta in the Czech Republic. Her Australian debut followed first-place finishes in four different races at the state finals last year.
KYLE BRAZELL (CRICKET)
ONE of Tea Tree Gully’s young guns in the Grade Cricket competition, Brazell has enjoyed a standout past 18 months. The hard-hitting batsman represented SA at the national under-15 titles in Queensland in May last year then went on to star for a Cricket Australia XI at the under-17 nationals in October. The left-hand opener smashed 417 runs at 59.6 to be named player of the national tournament.
BEN HINKS (SAILING)
IN 2016, Flagstaff Hill sailor Ben Hinks won the primary school category at the South Australian Sports Awards and competed at the European Optimist Championships.
The four-time national champion last year added to his achievements on the open water by sailing in Hong Kong at the Optimist Asian and Oceania Championships.
TEAH CHARLTON (FOOTBALL)
THE growing popularity of women’s football and rise of AFLW is encouraging for emerging stars like this Christies Beach youngster. The midfielder was named in the all-Australian squad after lining up for SA at the School Sport Australia Australian Football Championships in July.
Charlton, of Moana, started her footy journey by playing in boys teams for two years.
MONTANA EDWARDS (SOFTBALL)
THE Woodcroft resident looms as a name to keep an eye on in the softball world. Edwards, a catcher, was in the Australian squad that competed in the under-17 International Friendship Series in Queensland in July.
She went on to be named in the team of the tournament.
BOSTON PRICE (GOLF)
THE Happy Valley golfer won more than a dozen competitions last year, taking to fairways both in Australia and the US.
He also represented SA at the School Sport Australia under-12 championships. Boston followed his father into golf.
PIERCE CORDES-HARVEY (VOLLEYBALL)
JUST one South Australian was named in the boys School Sport Australia all-Australian volleyball squad last year – Heathfield High’s Pierce Cordes-Harvey.
One of seven Heathfield students who represented South Australia at the tournament, he also plays football for Mount Lofty.
IZAK RANKINE (FOOTBALL)
ANYONE who has watched the West Adelaide footballer play will not be surprised to see his name on this list. Rankine, 17, kicked 13 goals from 10 league games in 2017 and was the only bottom-aged player to be named in the all-Australian team after the national under-18 titles. The exciting speedster is already being touted as a potential top-five selection at November’s AFL National Draft.
MAGGIE PEARCE (TENNIS)
THE Seaside Tennis Club player is making a smash on the court. Maggie represented Australia in the under-14 girls singles at the WTA Future Stars event in Singapore in October and reached the semi-final. She reached the second round of the under-14 girls tournament at the December Showdown at Melbourne Park.
ALEX AND SIEGMUND (GOLF)
DO NOT be surprised if these identical twins and Grange Golf Club members tee off against each other at an Australian Open one day. Nick won last year’s primary school boys’ golf state final at Patawalonga – and his closest rival was Alex, who finished seven shots behind. At the same tournament, Nick and Alex also finished first and second in the short-course event.
SARAH ECKEL (ATHLETICS)
THE Immanuel College student started last year as a track athlete but ended it as one of the nation’s best cross-country runners in her age group. Eckel, who has competed in 800m track events and been coached by Team Tempo’s Adam Didyk, snared her first national gold medal in the girls’ cross-country race at the School Sport Australia championships in August.
CONNOR READ (BOXING)
WESTSIDE Boxing Club’s Connor Read won gold in the under-17 52kg category at the junior Australian championships last year. The Somerton Park pugilist managed to overcome a bout of the flu to claim victory in the event, which he had lost twice before. His goal is to compete at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
DARCY AND KELSEY REES (BASKETBALL)
THE Forestville basketballers both represented Australia last year – Darcy (pictured) in the under-17 Oceania Championships in Guam and Kelsey at the under-16 Asian championships in India. Their parents are Adelaide 36ers championship winner Paul Rees and ex-WNBL player Nicole Guy-Rees.
BETHAN MOUNFIELD (SWIMMING)
EXPECT the Blackwood swimmer to make even more of a splash in 2018 after competing at the FINA World Junior Championships in the US in August. Mounfield snared three bronze medals – in the 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle – at last year’s Australian Age Championships.
ROSE PITTMAN (ATHLETICS)
THE Pembroke Athletics Club runner – and daughter of Crows premiership ruckman David Pittman – finished 2017 in fine form. In November, the 16-year-old broke the long-standing under-18 800m state record then, last month, she won the under-16 400m and 800m at the All-Schools Nationals in Adelaide.
LLOYD POPE (CRICKET)
CRICKET pundits will no doubt dub the Kensington leg-spinner “the next Shane Warne” if he continues his impressive rise. Pope, 18, is set to be Australia’s frontline tweaker during this month’s Under-19 World Cup after being the only SA player named in the squad. It comes after he snared 15 wickets at 17.13 in last month’s national under-19 championships.
CALLUM COLEMAN-JONES (FOOTBALL)
IT WILL be interesting to see if SA’s under-18 captain in 2017 gets an opportunity to showcase his talents with reigning AFL premier Richmond this year. In November, the Tigers drafted Coleman-Jones, a 201cm, 98kg ruckman/forward, from Sturt at pick 20.
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