Southeast Brisbane’s best school sport stars
The best southeast Brisbane school sporting stars have been revealed. We’ve highlighted more than 60 of the top youngsters for 2020. See who is on the list.
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The best southeast Brisbane school sporting stars have been revealed. We’ve highlighted more than 60 of the top youngsters for 2020. See who is on the list.
MORE TOP SCHOOL SPORTS STARS
SOUTHEAST BRISBANE’S BEST SCHOOL SPORTS STARS
LOGAN’S TOP SCHOOL SPORTS STARS
BEST OF THE WEST SCHOOL SPORTS STARS
NORTH BRISBANE’S BEST SCHOOL SPORTS STARS
REDCLIFFE’S BEST SCHOOL SPORTS STARS
MORETON’S BEST SCHOOL SPORTS STARS
REDLANDS’ BEST SCHOOL SPORTS STARS
BAYSIDE’S BEST SCHOOL SPORTS STARS
MT GRAVATT STATE HIGH SCHOOL
CAITLIN TOWNER
Towner, 14, was selected by Diving Australia to be a member of their development squad in the National Talent Program which is based at Chandler. Prior to this, Towner was a Queensland gym representative who at the Australian Gymnastics Championships in 2018 and 2019 placed ninth and eighth in successive years. At state championship level, she was also second overall. Towner is dedicated, training 25 hours week, six days a week, and as a result does not have many hobbies. “What spare time I do have I enjoy hanging out with my friends,’’ she said. Towner aimed to continue to enjoy diving and tumbling.
JOSHUA SWANEPOEL
The 16-year-old Mt Gravatt SHS gymnastic is a brilliant prospect who one day aims to represent Australia. Swanepoel’s highlight reel includes being the 2017 national champion, the 2015-17 national rings champion, the 2015 national pommel champion and the 2015-17 Queensland champion.
JESSICA HOULT
Hoult is a young swimmer on the move who was a top 10 50m breaststroke finisher in her age group at the state titles. Hoult, who was delighted to once meet Olympians including Kate Campbell and Lakeisha Patterson, said her longer term goal was to compete in the 200m breaststroke and at state and national long course competition.
SOMERVILLE HOUSE
Southern suburbs resident Eloise Tolstoff, who attends Somerville House, is one of a host of outstanding young athletes at Somerville House. Tolstoff rose to the occasion to clinch gold in the girls under 16 high jump with a jump of 1.78m at the 2019 Australian All Schools Championships. She was coming off a gold medal winning effort in high jump under 16s at the Australian track and field championships held earlier in the year where she leapt 1.71m. The talented jumper is joined on Somerville House’s list by these outstanding young sportswomen who include:
+ Ellie Saxby, an Australian under 16 softballer;
+ Olivia Steel, who was a member of the outstanding Queensland under 18 cricket team;
+ Louisa Downes, an Australian 16 years and under Water Polo national squad member who was training to attend the world championships before the COVID-19 health crisis gripped the world. From the powerhouse Mermaids club, she is also a Queensland squad member;
+ Annabel Cowan, like Downes, was also a member of the Australian 16 years and under Water Polo naaional squad, as well as being a Queensland squad member and Composite District Team and Met East Team representative;
+ Cali Westmoreland, the Queensland women’s artistic gymnastics team member of 2019 whose team won the Level 8 Australian National Championships.Her effort also included an individual placing on both the beam and floor (two silver medals) in the individual championship. It was a huge effort for her to walk away with one gold and two silver national medals:
+ Brigit McMahon – Queensland Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Team member of 2019 who also collected two individual gold medals at the state championships on floor and vault. Her team finished second for the Level 10 Australian National Championships, while she also placed first on vault;
+ Brianna Leung, a state champion high jumper in the girls 14 years while also being an Australia representative in trampoline during 2019;
+ Phoebe Marsh has been a state medallist in javelin for three successive years;
+ Cate Dance is a member of the Australian under 16 skiing team for 2020
RUNCORN STATE HIGH SCHOOL
Runcorn SHS has a host of high sporting achievers including:
Angus Loft: Loft is a Queensland weightlifting champion;
Damon Van Der Woude: Damon is light on his feet, having been a Queensland Schools OZ Tag representative and Regional Touch Football player;
Gohki Ikeda: The razor sharp Gohki is a Queensland baseball representative;
Grace Juriansz: Grace is a true all-rounder who is an A grade women’s cricket player, basketballer and touch football excellence student;
Jackson Streader: The junior sports person of the year, Streader is a touch football excellence student;
Kasey Roiri: Kasey is a women’s rugby union rep player, basketball and touch football excellence student;
Lani Connolly: The fleet-of-foot Lani is a state OZ Tag representative, high jump regional athlete a touch footballer;
Myah Cresswell Tino: Represents her native New Zealand in touch football while also being a Queensland Oz Tag representative;
Tahni Bridge: The impressive Bridge was the school’s junior sports women of the year, a regional football and track and field representative;
Te-Ariki Rau: Rau is an eye-catching representative basketball player and Basketball Excellence Scholarship holder at Runcorn SHS.
ST THOMAS MORE COLLEGE
BAILEY DAY
Day produced an Olympic trials qualifying time after shining at the at the state titles earlier in the year.
The St Thomas More student, who trains at Southside Aquatic’s, was a silver medallist in the 1500m, a bronze medallist in both the 400m and 800m freestyle and a finalist in the hotly contested 200m final in the 15 years age group. Along the way she produced an Olympic qualifying time. Day, who helped her school win its swimming carnival against other schools for the first time, is one of several outstanding young sporting achievers at St Thomas More. These include Dylan Kruck, an outstanding track and field athlete who has won multiple medals at state and national level over the years, footballer Alex Surjaatmadja who took part in the Barca Academy Asia Pacific Cup 2020, rugby league player Isaac Carpenter who made the Mal Meninga Cup team for Wynnum Manly Seagulls and Hayden Sell, a tennis player who competed in Australian Open in 2020.
ALL HALLOWS’ SCHOOL
BRONTE JOB
Not too many young swimmers can say they were a junior world swimming championship gold medallist but that glittering piece of silverware will forever be on the mantle piece in the Job household. The bubbly inner eastern suburbs resident from All Hallows claimed gold at last year’s championships in the 50m backstroke. Job is a Langlands Park Memorial Pool Jet junior who is now coached by Damien Jones at Centenary Rackley. has a national ranking of No. 7 in 50m backstroke in open competition. She is just as impressive out of the pool as she is in it, with coach Jones praising her personality for lifting the morale of his squad during long training blocks. Job is one of a dozen outstanding schoolgirl talents at All Hallows’ School. These include Job’s Australian teammate at last year’s world junior swimming championships, the 15-year-old Elizabeth Dekkers, Brodie Baker (Australian Volleyball and QAS squad member), Audrey Fuller (Queensland basketball and US Scholarship recipient), Imogen Rice (Australian fencing team), Josephine Crimmins (national swimmer and outstanding water polo player who is part of a club team, Mermaids, that has not been beaten for five years, Lily Bassingthwaighte (Queensland cricket team), Caitlyn Blade (Queensland touch football team) and Phoebe Fredericks who was in the Australian squad under 16 water polo squad that was training to attend the world junior championships, only for the competition to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 crisis.
LORETO COLLEGE
EMILY HUMPHRIES
Emily Humphries is an outstanding water polo player who was on the cusp of Australian under 16 selection until the COVID-19 health crisis ended chances of the world junior championships taking place. Humphries, whose game has been polished training with the champion Mermaids club, had made the national under 16 training squad. Next year she will look to progress in the Queensland Thunder squad in the Australian Water Polo League.
BRISBANE GRAMMAR SCHOOL
GUS WHITTOME
Whittome, a Bulimba resident, is an outstanding BGS swimmer who was a national medallist at the 2019 Australian Age Swimming Championships and who also helped his medley relay team to a record.
MACGREGOR SHS
RONAN AND KYNISKA HOY
Year 8 student Ronan Hoy has been playing ice hockey since he was aged seven. He discovered the sport while on a “home exchange” in Canada with his family in 2013-14 and on returning to Australia, he signed up for skate school at Iceworld at Acacia Ridge. Playing for Southern Stars Ice Hockey Club, he tried the position of goal tender after only a few weeks on the ice. While he has continued to develop his hockey skating skills as a forward during training and games from time to time, his main position has been as goalie.
He has gone from strength to strength, being selected at just nine years to play for Queensland in 2016 in the National Ginsberg Peewee (under 13) Ice Hockey tournament, bringing home the bronze medal. He has since played the last two years in the National Ice Hockey tournament, bringing home silver for Queensland in 2019 when his team was also awarded the Fair Play trophy. In addition to playing at a local level and representing Queensland, Ronan has played at an international level twice for the “Australian Ice Crocs” Peewee team in 2017 and 2018, in a prestigious International Ice Hockey tournament held in Quebec, Canada. Ice hockey has also taken Ronan to New Zealand, for a training “boot camps” and to an international tournament held in Dunedin in 2018. More recently, Ronan and his sister, Kyniska, who is in Year 10 at MacGregor State High, competed at the Australasian Ice Hockey Challenge in Perth. Their under 14 team, the Queensland Cyclones, finished the tournament undefeated with a gold medal. Ronan’s most recent triumph was at the annual “Melt the Ice” tournament at Boondall, playing his position of goaltender in both the under 13 and under 15 teams for his local club, The Southern Stars, winning gold in both levels.
Kyniska Hoy started her ice hockey career in 2016, and moved from figure skating after seeing how much fun her brother was having, both in training and games. Training with the Southern Stars, and later with the newly formed ice hockey Academy the Queensland Cyclones, Kyniska’s hard work and determination earned her a spot on the Brisbane Goannas Women’s Ice Hockey team last year. Kyniska was then selected to play on the National under 18 Women’s Ice Hockey team, with her versatility earning her opportunities to play both forward and defence. In January, the team travelled to The Netherlands where they competed in the under 18 World Women’s Ice Hockey Championships. The Australian team came home with a bronze medal.
BRISBANE STATE HIGH SCHOOL
BENJAMIN GUSE
Benjamin has been selected in the Queensland Athletics Target Talent Program. This followed his third place in the under 18 decathlon at the Australian Combined Event Championship held at QSAC. The BSHS athletic team captain said he loved the multiple event nature of decathlon. “My interest in combined events and all-round aptitude in athletics as a junior is what led to me choosing to compete in the decathlon. In February this year, I participated in the National Combined Event Championships in QSAC, Brisbane. In these championships, I achieved third place in Australia for the under 18 category where my point score of 5890 was greater than a 600 point improvement from my last decathlon. I have also been selected in the Queensland Athletics squad to train in a target talent program among the rising stars in Australia.”
CHARLI KNOTT
Charli represented Australia in an under 19 cricket team that toured New Zealand in 2019 and she was selected for a second time to represent Australia in the under 19 tour of South Africa. She is a member of the Brisbane Heat championship winning team for the 2018, 2019 and 2020 seasons. “I have also been fortunate enough to be a member of the Brisbane Heat squad along with having the opportunity to play in Queensland Fire,” Knott said.
RYLEIGH WOTHERSPOON
Ryleigh has represented Australia as a member of the under 15 cricket team which contested in the 2020 Cricket Australia under 18 Female National Championships. She has also represented Queensland in football and is a member of the State High’s QGSSSA cricket and Football Open teams. “One of my greatest achievements in sport was representing the Australian under 15 cricket team. I scored a century, which contributed to our team winning against Tasmania,’’ said the Queensland football and indoor cricket representative.
GEORGIA VOLL
Georgia has represented Queensland in cricket and rugby league. In cricket, she is a member of the 2020 Queensland Fire Team and was selected to represent Australia in the under 19 tour to South Africa alongside Knott who was featured above. In helping Queensland under 18s win the national championship earlier this year, Georgia received the prestigious Betty Wilson Medallist Award for Player of the Cricket Championships. Her dream season was capped in March when she helped her club Sandgate-Redcliffe win the Premier grade women’s grand final alongside World Cup winning star Beth Mooney.
NIKITA MOORE
Nikita has represented Australia in cross country at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Denmark in 2019. Moore is focusing on 3000m run, 5km run, steeplechase and cross country as she strives to again run for her country and compete in the NCAA Championships. “ My biggest achievement is representing Australia at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Denmark in 2019. I am striving towards competing in the NCAA Championships and Australian teams.’’
JACK CROME
A promising triathlete, Jack has represented Queensland in National Championship events for triathlon and cross country. In triathlon, he placed first in the Queensland Schools Triathlon Championship. “I have won both the junior and intermediate levels of the Queensland Secondary Schools (QSS) Triathlon State Championships and the last two national Super Sprint triathlon titles,’’ he said. In cross country he has also placed third at GPS.
SARAH BIRCHALL
The football and tennis player represented Australia as a member of an Under 13 Tennis team which toured Germany in 2019. She has also been a member of the Queensland Academy of Sport football team in 2019 and 2020 and is a member of State High’s QGSSSA Tennis and Football Open teams.
HANNAH FORBES
Hannah has represented Australia as a member of an under 18 trans-Tasman Touch Football team and is also a member of the Open Womens Broncos and State High’s QGSSSA Touch Football Open team.
“For me, playing touch football has fostered many friendships and provided memorable moments over the years and I hope to continue making these for most of my life,’’ Forbes said. “I also love the competitiveness and thrill of big games.’’ Forbes is also well and truly on the Broncos’ radar. Indeed while making the Australian under 18 touch team is her No. 1 achievement, second was being asked to train with the Broncos open women’s NRL training squad last year. When asked to name her sporting heroes, she nominated Broncos training squad members Hayley Maddick, Kimberley Sue-See and Emily Hennessey.
EMILY CAMPBELL
Campbell is a highly promising hurdler from Brisbane’s eastern suburbs who attends BSHS. Campbell, a four time hurdles national champion, believed the culture at State High bought the best out in students. “It is a good community and I relate to everyone and everyone gets along,’’ said Campbell. “Every class has a Queensland swimmer, a Queensland runner, basketballer, netballer...,’’ said she in admiration of the BSHS sporting culture.
BEN and LARA ROBERTS
The Roberts’ family is an amazingly talented group of field athletes. Ben and Lara’s older sister, Alexandra, represented Australia at the Youth Olympic Games in javelin while attending BSHS. Then twins Ben and Lara earned podium finishes after being named in the Australian under 18 athletics team to compete at the Oceania championships in Townsville in 2019. They have been consistently on the podium at GPS or QGSSSA, state and national championship level over the years.
SAXON SCHEFFLER
Eastern suburbs resident Saxon Scheffler claimed the GPS 13 years 50m butterfly record in March, while Scheffler also enjoyed individual wins in the 50m freestyle, 100m breaststroke and 50m fly. He also ran amok to dominate athletic sprints at the GPS junior championships last October.
TORI KININMONTH
Kininmonth is one of a small army of exciting Queensland water polo players coming through the ranks. The daughter of Olympic rower Rachael, Kininmonth is such an impressive goal keeper that twice she has been named goal keeper of the national championships in her age group while representing the Yeronga-based Mermaids club.
CANNON HILL ANGLICAN COLLEGE
ALYSHA GALLAGHER – SWIMMING
Alysha has excelled in her chosen sport of swimming over the past three years, being a consistent member of the state team and competing in many national and state championships. Within her age group, she is ranked second nationally for 50m freestyle and 50m butterfly. Alysha demonstrates promising talent for the future, seeding first in the B final at the 2019 Australia World Swimming Trials and was only 0.04 seconds off racing in the A final against Olympian sister’s Cate and Bronte Campbell. Alysha’s greatest achievement is achieving a gold medal at the 2019 Australian School Swimming Championships for 16-year old 50m freestyle and equalling the Australian Record.
TIM FISK – CROSS COUNTRY/TRACK
Tim has competed at a high level in both cross country and track over the past three years, showcasing his talent at district, regional, and state level while also qualifying for national competitions in numerous events spanning from the 1500m to 10km. During his five years at CHAC, he has been a key asset of the TAS Cross Country and Athletics team. Tim trains regularly with some of the best young athletes in Queensland to prepare him to trial for the IAAF World Youth Cross Country Championships. He hopes to qualify for this race early next year to increase his chances of pursuing a scholarship into an NCAA Division 1 College in the United States at the end of 2021 and compete at a high level.
DOUGLAS HAMBLING – BASKETBALL
Doug has excelled in basketball in the last few years, making the Southern Districts Spartans division one under-16 boys team and competing in the State Championships while receiving MVP two years running. On the court, Doug proves to be an uprising star after qualifying for the final round of the Queensland state team trial as an underage entrant. He has also been recognised as the MVP within Queensland at the All Schools Volleyball Cup.
HOLLY BALLARD – CRICKET
Over the past few years, Holly has been actively involved in a variety of sporting activities and competitions within the community. After representing her club at the Heat Girls Cricket League competition, Holly’s talents were admired by invitations to attend the Bayside East and Redlands Cricket Association and City Fever Cricket Team. She extends her sporting talents to athletics and cross country, which she has represented at a district level. Her greatest sporting achievement was competing at the Queensland State Cross Country Championships as part of the Met East team two years in a row.
CHLOE RYDER – VOLLEYBALL
Chloe has been a force to reckon with on the volleyball court in recent years. Throughout 2018, she represented numerous district, regional and state teams for both beach and indoor volleyball. The following year, Chloe was offered a scholarship in the development squad of the Queensland Academy of Sport. Her experience competing at national level as led her to captain the Met East Team and vice-captain the Queensland team. In 2020, she was announced MVP of the Queensland Beach Volleyball Tour and was also selected as a member of the National Australian indoor team to compete in Thailand later in the year. Most recently, she has been offered a full scholarship to train with the Elite Squad with Volleyball Australia.
CAITLIN TEAKLE – TOUCH FOOTBALL
Caitlin’s experience playing touch football for the past six years has allowed to her to gain many experiences within her sport. This year she has been selected to play in the BMTA’s under-14 A-Division for the Junior State Cup. Caitlin has been part of two Junior State Championship teams, including the BMTA Mustangs and Brisbane Cobras. She has also proven to be a valuable member of the Met East touch team.
TOBY CHIPPENDALE – CROSS COUNTRY/ATHLETICS
Over the past few years, Toby has excelled in athletics and cross-country. He has made several regional and state teams and has been given the opportunity to represent Queensland at the national championships in both these sports. His specialties include the 1500m, 3000m and 2000m Steeplechase. Toby has also been a top competitor at the TAS Athletics and Cross-Country carnivals for many years and alongside his Met East teammates, has won a gold-medal in the Queensland state cross country relay in 2019. His running talent has also allowed him the opportunity to compete in the Regional and State Triathlon Championships.
YASMIN WARD – VOLLEYBALL
Yasmin started volleyball at CHAC in Year 7 and immediately fell in love with the sport. From the age of 15, she has been a key member of her club’s division women’s team within the Premier Volleyball League competition. In 2018, she was one of the first teams to represent CHAC at Beach Schools Cup, achieving runner’s up against 24 other school teams across the state and runner’s up the following year. Last year, she was selected into the under-19 state squad, was the vice-captain of the Metropolitan East representative team and has also been training with the Queensland Academy of Sport development squad.
SAM ORFORD – VOLLEYBALL
Sam has proven his worth in numerous sports at CHAC, being a member of the Year 7 volleyball and tennis premiership teams and runners up football and TAS Cross Country teams. His talent in volleyball has allowed him to be selected into two Queensland state teams. This experience has allowed him to lead his CHAC Year 7 team to gold at the Australian Volleyball Schools Cup and silver at the Queensland Junior Volleyball Schools Cup. Sam has also been selected in district teams for both tennis and athletics.
AERIN ARIFF HUSHAIRY – BASKETBALL
Aerin only started basketball two years ago with the CHAC 7A basketball team. When the school season ended, she decided to join a club team as a hobby. With the help of her coaches, her basketball skills improved significantly, and she joined the under-14 division three Southern Districts Basketball team at the start of 2019. Aerin led her team to second place at the 2019 State Championships. She was the highest scorer in her rep competition and at State Championships. In term one of 2020, the CHAC 9A basketball girls took home the premiership. Aerin now competes in the division three under-16 competition with Southern Districts and is the third highest scorer.
IONA COLLEGE
JACK MCINTOSH
Jack McIntosh, captain of Iona’s First volleyball team, is currently in the Australian under 16 volleyball squad to tour Thailand.
DECLAN JOHNSTON
Iona College will be well served when the AIC basketball season returns by Declan Johnston, a returning 1st player and past regional schools 15 years representative.
MORE TOP SCHOOL SPORTS STARS
SOUTHEAST BRISBANE’S BEST SCHOOL SPORTS STARS
LOGAN’S TOP SCHOOL SPORTS STARS
BEST OF THE WEST SCHOOL SPORTS STARS
NORTH BRISBANE’S BEST SCHOOL SPORTS STARS
REDCLIFFE’S BEST SCHOOL SPORTS STARS
MORETON’S BEST SCHOOL SPORTS STARS
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