Sunshine Coast school sport stars of rugby union, AFL, athletics

From the pool to the field there is an impressive cohort of young Sunshine Coast talent destined for a big sporting future. We look at 28 rising stars. SEE THE FULL LIST

The future of sport looks bright as a diverse and talented cohort of the next generation excel on land and in water.

A small and outstanding snapshot of this rising talent is revealed below, with six Sunshine Coast private schools showcasing their sporting stars.

Here are 28 of the Sunshine Coast’s junior sport stars.

IMMANUEL LUTHERAN COLLEGE

Pipi Polla-Mounter - Equestrian

The Year 6 rider, 11, has been selected for the 2021 Hygain Interschool Queensland State Team with her pony, Poppet (Whitmere Countess), after being sashed overall Queensland Primary Show Horse Champion at the Interschool State Championships in June.

She will compete with her team members, which include riders from schools across Queensland - including Redeemer, Grace and Good Shepherd Lutheran Colleges - at the 2021 Interschool Nationals which will be held in Victoria later this year.

Kiara Rychvalsky - Lifesaving/football

The Year 12 sports vice-captain has been selected into the Australian Youth Life Saving Team.

Rychvalsky and the squad will train and compete in international events in the lead up to reclaiming the Youth National Team Title at the Life Saving World Championships in 2022 in Riccione, Italy.

She is one of only two Sunshine Coast surf lifesavers to make the squad and has been identified as a standout talent leading the female contingent.

Rychvalsky, who specialises in flags and beach sprinting, is also a gun football player.

She was the 2020 premier women’s player of the year at the Sunshine Coast Football Awards and the premier league player of the year at southeast Queensland’s Football Community awards.

Tom Johnston - Lifesaving

The Year 10 student has been named in the Talent Identification Squad, a new initiative to the Australian Youth Life Saving Team which will incorporate athletes who are eligible for the 2024 Youth Life Saving World Championships, to be held on the Gold Coast.

William Baarslag - Volleyball

The Year 10 student has been selected to represent Queensland at the Australian Youth Volleyball Championships which will be held in Bendigo from September 25-30.

Baarslag is the only person from the Sunshine Coast to make the squad.

Volleyball Queensland has successfully defended its junior title since 2015.

SUNSHINE COAST GRAMMAR

Jed Rowlands and Sam McClarron - Cross country

Rowlands was crowned a state champion after winning the Under 14 boys 3km event at the Queensland Cross Country Championships.

Meanwhile, McClarron came fourth in the state

The pair also won the gold medal in the under 13 boys team event (with a third member).

The results secured Rowlands and McClarron spots in the Queensland team to compete at nationals in Adelaide.

Unfortunately the event was postponed.

Jess Lawrie - Volleyball

Lawrie has been named in the Queensland Under 16 indoor volleyball team to compete at the national championships later in the year.

The selection comes after she had already represented the state earlier this year in beach volleyball.

It means she’s made two state teams in the same year.

Harry Colley, Preston Saron, James Martin and Sam Eyles - Water polo

This talented quartet has been selected in the U14 Queensland water polo team.

The tournament is scheduled to be played in Hobart in the September school holidays.

SIENA CATHOLIC COLLEGE

Daisy Harrison - Showjumping

Daisy represented Siena at the Queensland State Championships in the 70cm and 90cm showjumping at Maryborough last month.

The Grade 7 student and her horse, Luna Eclipse, were awarded Queensland Reserve Champion for Secondary – 70cm competing against 44 other Year 7-12 students from more than 200 schools.

She also placed 19th overall, on her other horse Bourkey, in the Secondary - 90cm.

Daisy also competed in a number of inter school events earlier in the year to gain qualification for the state championships.

She was first place, Champion Rider, for 70cm at Stuartholme School in February.

In March, she attended the Wide Bay Regionals, taking out reserve champion (70cm) on the opening day and champion rider (70cm) on the second day.

Jude Bannister and Xavier Waller - Aussie rules

Both boys represented the Sunshine Coast school sport region in the 10-12 yrs AFL team at the State Schoolboys Championships in Cairns in June.

Their team finished first, winning the state championships.

From this event both Jude and Xavier were selected in the 10-12 years Queensland AFL merit team.

Siena Catholic College student Xavier Waller

MATTHEW FLINDERS ANGLICAN COLLEGE

Claire McCulloch(Water Polo- Year 9)

- Selected in the Queensland Maroon team for water polo and will be attending Nationals in Adelaide, delayed until December due to Covid.

- Involved in the Club Nations in Perth in January 2022 and hoping to win U16 Nationals with Mermaids Pink.

- Claire has been invited into a TID squad ‘Brisbane 2032’ based on her performances and potential.

Ryan Bambach (Swimming - Year 8)

- At the School State Championships Bambach was awarded male swimmer of the meet.

- First place in 50m, 100m, 200m freestyle in 13yrs age group.

-First place in 50m, 100m, 200m breaststroke in 13yrs age group.

-First place in 200m IM in 13 yrs age group.

-First place in boys 4 x 50m freestyle and medley relay

- Bambach is working towards the State Short Course coming up later in the year.

Josh Fabiani (Athletics - Year 11)

- Second in the Australian Track and Field Championships in April (400m individual and 4 x 400m relay)

-First in the Queensland State Athletics in the 400m.

- Currently, Fabiani’s 400m time ranks him third in Australia in U18 age group.

- State Championships has been cancelled due to Covid. Josh was chasing the state record.

Mitch Lehmann (Rugby - Year 12)

- Selected in the Queensland U18 Schoolboys Rugby team for 2021 (Merit team as Nationals were cancelled).

- Flinders Firsts Rugby team captain.

- Previously involved in Queensland U15s Rugby 7s where he was vice-captain.

ST TERESA’S CATHOLIC COLLEGE

Amy Kibble

Kibble was selected to play in the AON Rugby 7s competition for UQ early this year (semi-professional series).

She was also selected in the QAS Reds 7s team to take on New South Wales in the “Battle of the Border” competition late last year.

Kibble is also a gun surf lifesaver.

She was selected in the Queensland Cyclones Surf Life Saving team to compete in a national competition in 2018 where she won the beach event.

She got second place in a beach event (flags) at the Australian Life Saving Championships in 2019.

Isabelle Trusler

Trusler has taken on the world of multisport and found plenty of success.

She was selected for the Queensland School National White Triathlon Team this year.

Also this year, she placed ninth overall, and second for the Sunshine Coast, during the U16-U19 event at the Queensland State School Triathlon State Championship.

She took on the Queensland State Cross Country championships and placed second in the district and regional levels of cross country for U17s.

She was second in the Moreton Bay Club triathlon, 16-19 years, and seventh in the Mooloolaba Triathlon Sprint Draft Legal, 16-19 years.

Trussler has been in the district swim team in 2019, 2020, 2021 and was St Teresa’s swim age champion in U15, U16 and opens

Hudson Jessep

Jessep is a talented runner, placing third at the U16 Boys Queensland State Cross Country Championships and first in the team relay.

He was also champion in the U16 Boys Regional Cross Country Championships and came eighth at the National U17 Mens 3000m timed final.

ST ANDREW’S ANGLICAN COLLEGE

Willow Spero

Willow is a super water polo player who lives and breathes the sport.

She is currently in the Queensland U14 A team and is due to head to Hobart for the National Championships at the end of September.

She has been inspired by being around the Australian Women’s Olympic Water Polo team for the last three months, who have been training at St Andrew’s and Willow is looking forward to representing St Andrew’s when the Sunshine Coast Schools water polo season kicks off next Monday.

She is also a national level swimmer and as a result much of her week really is spent in the water.

Sam Newsham

Sam has enjoyed a wonderful year on the cross country track in 2021 winning the school, district and regional 11 years boys 3km cross country events.

He won the Queensland All Schools Championships in Brisbane and went on to win the Queensland Athletics X-Country Relay Championships in June and just recently won the Queensland Schools event.

This was capped off last week by beating a 10 year old record in the Sunshine Coast 11 years Boys Independent District Schools 800m with a time of 2.22.46 – a record previously held by Brodie Modini.

CALOUNDRA CITY PRIVATE SCHOOL

Harper Rankine

Among several budding junior athletes is Year 4 student, Harper Rankine.

Harper won age champion at both the school’s athletics and cross country carnivals this year.

At the SCISSA District Athletics Carnival, Harper also won various events for her 9-Years age group, including long jump, 100m and 200m for which she also set a new district record time.

Sienna and Jayla Tarbuck

Sisters Sianna (Year 5) and Jayla (Year 7) may be Sunshine Coast locals, but that hasn’t stopped them finding a passion and talent for figure skating.

What initially started as a love for rollerblading saw the girls look for a new challenge in ice skating five and a half years ago, and they have not

looked back.

The Tarbuck sisters head down to Brisbane four-days per week after school where they skate as members of the Boondall Figure Ice Skating Club.

Both compete at a national level as state representatives, Jayla in the basic novice and Sianna in the elementary level.

Amie d’Espagnac

Amie (Year 9) is one of Caloundra City Private School’s sporting all-rounders, taking home the major award of 2019 Sportsperson of the Year after a fantastic year representing the school across many sports.

While oztag and netball have been long-time favourites, Amie also laced up some new boots for her first ever game of rugby this year.

Both loving and thriving in the sport, she was quickly picked up by the Sunshine Coast Stingrays and recently qualified for its U15 youth girls team, set to play centre in the season ahead.

Cade Stowers

Cade (Year 12) smashed Caloundra City Private School’s swimming records across all four strokes at this year’s swimming carnival, setting new records in backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle.

Cade has competed in various swimming events at a state level, qualifying for the regional representative swimming team four years in a row.

This year he qualified for open swimming across 100m freestyle, 100m backstroke, 200m freestyle and 400m freestyle as a regional representative.