How to watch the 2024 South Australian School Sports Awards livestream and meet finalists Elana Holub and Charlie Camilleri
The state’s top student athletes have been honoured at the SA School Sports Awards. See all the winners and watch the awards night live stream replay.
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Sand is no longer the only thing beach volleyball and golf have in common after a dramatic finish to the School Sport SA sporting year on Wednesday.
For the second-straight year the judges could not be split, instead awarding joint winners of the individual secondary athlete of the year.
Henley High golfer Raegan Denton and Brighton Secondary School volleyballer Finley Bennett were announced joint winners of the award at the The Advertiser, Sunday Mail and Department for Education School Sport Awards.
Australian number one tennis junior Sofia Haddock won the individual primary athlete of the year award.
CHECK OUT THE FULL LIST OF WINNER’S BELOW
The judges said it was a painstaking process trying to separate a hotly-contested field of 28 finalists across both awards.
“The two recipients of the secondary school sports award were inseparable in their achievements,” a School Sport SA spokeswoman said.
“Both athletes frequently competed against Australia’s top adult athletes, represented their country internationally on multiple occasions, and served as exceptional role models for their sport and school.”
Year 11 student Denton, who is expected to be a leading US college prospect in 2026, is the leading junior golfer in South Australia and captained the state team to an undefeated finish at the Australian Junior Interstate Teams Matches earlier this year.
She was also selected for the Australian Junior National Team to compete against the US junior team, and only last month took out the 2024 Jack Newton Junior International Classic.
Bennett has been a member of Brighton Secondary School’s Special Interest Volleyball Program for five years and is the captain of the Brighton Open Honour Boys Team.
After success at both a state and national level, which included pulling on the green and gold at the Under-19 World Beach Volleyball Championships in August, Bennett accepted a Developing Volleyroos Beach Volleyball contract for 2025 and will train at the Volleyroos facility in Adelaide.
PREVIEW
The state’s top young athletes are set to be honoured tonight with 29 finalists in the running for four coveted awards.
The Advertiser, Sunday Mail and Department for Education 2024 School Sports Awards will be streamed right here live and exclusive from 7pm on Wednesday night for the third-straight year.
Among the finalists in rising ice hockey star Elana Holub who is already carving out a name for herself as one of Australia’s future greats.
At 16, she has already represented Australia, travelling to Spain for the U18 Women’s World Championship earlier this year where she was named most valuable player in Australia’s match against Poland.
“It’s so exciting like every time you step on the ice for Australia is such an amazing experience,” she said.
“It was a tough game (against Poland) and to get that recognition of being MVP is a really big honour because it’s the entire team that got you there.”
MEET ALL 29 SCHOOL SPORTS AWARDS FINALISTS
Having started out as an inline skater when she was six, it was only natural for Holub to take her skills to the ice.
“I did some (inline) skating classes and the instructor was actually an ice hockey player and was like, ‘if you really love skating, why don’t you try ice skating?” she said.
“To be honest, I love it. It’s literally like what my life revolves around now.
“I’ll keep doing it until my body falls apart, I’d love to keep playing and represent Australia.”
On home soil, Holub trains on ice five times a week and is a member of the Ice Factor Thunder team.
She has even taken up a mentorship role as a coach in the program which has been “great.”
“It’s mostly teaching them the basics and safety but also how to have fun with the sport,” she said.
“Being a coach is actually a lot more difficult to be honest than I had initially thought (...) it’s opened my eyes to appreciate how much coaches have to work to train and produce players.”
The Thebarton Senior College student said it was a “real privilege” to be a finalist in the individual secondary section.
Fellow finalist and running champion Charlie Camilleri, 12, has already represented the state on multiple occasions, taking home a hoard of gold and silver medals.
“When you represent the state, you feel quite professional, you feel proper like all your hard work’s paid off,” the Prince Alfred College student who is a finalist in the individual primary section said.
A keen long distance runner, Camilleri has dreams of donning the green and gold for Australia one day.
“I would love to make it to the Olympics … it would be a really awesome experience,” he said.
His idols include GSSE gold medallist Jared Micallef who he had the opportunity to train with while on holiday in Malta.
“It was so cool, I was running around and he was clapping me and cheering me on,” he said.
“At the end we raced, I did get like a 350 metre start in a hundred metre run but I took the win.”
Micallef also left with some parting words of advice, telling the youngster to “make sure you enjoy” the sport
“Because when people don’t, they end up dropping out so you need to just make sure that you’re still enjoying it,” he said.
Off the track, he has also represented the state as a member of the SSSA Touch Football team at the 2024 national competition.
Winners and runners-up will be announced at an awards function on Wednesday at Keith Murdoch House.
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