Sports Darling Downs to crown best athlete of 2022 at Rumours International
Sports Darling Downs is set to announce the winners for the best Junior and Senior Sports Stars from across the region this Saturday. SEE THE FINALISTS.
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SPORTS: The Sports Darling Downs dinner has arrived, with the leading organisation set to crown their best junior and senior sportspeople from across the region.
Mick Smith and his team will showcase and celebrate the region’s greatest sporting talent from 2022 on Saturday, February 11, at Rumours International.
The two main awards are the Junior Sports Star of 2022 and the Senior Sports Star of 2022.
Those who have shown exceptional prowess in their respective disciplines will be awarded as the Athlete of the Year.
Throughout the year, athletes are nominated and selected as winners for each month of the year.
The list of athletes is below as well as a few short biographies showcasing their achievements.
Sports Darling Downs 2022 Junior nominees
January – Sienna Deurloo – Swimming
Australian Champion in the 17 years 5km, she qualified for the Commonwealth Games Swimming trials for 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle. She also claimed bronze at the Australian Open Short Course Championships 1500m freestyle event.
February – William Ready – Hockey and indoor hockey
Selected in the Queensland under-18 and under-21 Men’s hockey teams, Ready was then selected in the National Futures Squad (Australian under-18 Squad). In 2022 he was selected in the Australian Men’s Indoor Hockey National Emerging Squad.
March – Xanthee Watts – Athletics
Watts won the gold medal in the under-14 400m Australian Track and Field Championships becoming the national champion. She also placed second for both under-14 shot put and triple jump at the Queensland Athletics Championships.
April – Porter White – Track cycling
White won the gold medal in the under-15 boys individual pursuit and the silver medal in the under-15 boy’s points race at the National Junior Track Cycling Championships. Porter placed second at the under-15 time trial and the third place in the under-15 road race at the National Junior Road Cycling Championships.
May – Jessica Rowe – Athletics
Rowe won gold in the women’s under-18 hammer throw at the Australian Athletics Championships and also came first at the Oceania Championships.
June – Tom Campbell – Hockey
Campbell was named in the Queensland under-18 and under-21 men’s hockey teams, before being selected for the National Futures Squad (Australian under-18 Squad). He then gained selection in the Brisbane Blaze Queensland senior men’s squad for the Hockey One Series at just 16 years old.
July – Blaise Prendergast – Touch
Won gold with the under-18 Queensland Schoolboys Touch team at the National Youth Championships. He was part of the Open Men’s South West Queensland team that competed at the National Touch League and the under-20 men’s State of Origin Team. Additionally, he was selected for the under-18 Australian Youth Touch squad.
August – Matt Hawthorne – Hockey
A member of the Queensland under-16 boy’s hockey team, Hawthorne came second at the national under-16 Hockey Championships. He was awarded Player of the Tournament and Queensland Player’s Player. He was selected in the Australian under-16 hockey team.
September – Chloe Denning – Triathlon
Denning came second at the Queensland Schools Triathlon Championships in the girl’s 16 years age group. She also came second at the Australian Schools Triathlon Championships. She is a Triathlon Queensland Development Team member.
October – Geordie Cowdroy – Athletics
Cowdroy won gold at the Australian All Schools Athletics Championships in the under-15 boy’s high jump. He also competed in the heptathlon event and frequently broke Queensland meet records for high jump, discus and 100m hurdles throughout 2022.
November – Lucy Dyson – Athletics and Futsal
Dyson was selected in the Australian under-15 Futsal team to travel to Brazil in 2023, and also had great results at the Australian All Schools Athletics Championships with a gold medal in the girl’s under-15 4x100m relay and the silver medal in the girl’s under-15 100m. She also won the bronze medal in the 200m and came fifth place in the 400m event.
December – Edward Beverland – Swimming
Beverland came first at the National School Championships in the mixed 200m medley where the team broke the National Record. Beverland also claimed silver medals in the 50m freestyle, 50m and 100m backstroke and the 200m backstroke and 200m medley relays. The Queensland Schools 11 years age champion for the second year in a row, he recorded eight medals with four gold. He also claimed nine medals at the Darling Downs trials.
Sports Daling Downs Senior 2022 nominees
January – Brielle Erbacher – Athletics
Erbacher raced in the 3000m steeplechase as part of the Australian Commonwealth Games where she placed eighth. She was selected in the 3000m steeplechase event for the World Athletics Championships.
February – Tori Gallegos – Weightlifting
Gallegos placed third at the Singapore International Weightlifting Tournament 59kg category before winning gold at the Oceania Weightlifting Association Cup Invitational 59kg category. She placed 15th at the IWF Junior World Championships, came second at the Australian Senior Championships 59kg category and placed third overall.
March – Tatum Stewart – Hockey
Stewart was named in the Australian Open Women’s National Development Squad (Australia A). She played in the Junior World Cup qualifiers against New Zealand and was top goal scorer of the tournament.
April – Daniel Burge – Hockey
Goalkeeper of the Queensland under-18 men’s hockey team who won the bronze medal at the national under-18 men’s Hockey Championships. Was selected in the Australian under-18 Futures Squad. He also was selected for the 2023 Queensland under-21 Men’s Hockey Squad.
May – Cameron Stein – Tenpin bowling
Stein won a bronze medal at the under-21 IBF World Championships in Helsingborg, Sweden, as a member of the four men Australian Tenpin Bowling team. He had a top 16 finish in the doubles and a top 30 finish in the singles. At the Tenpin Premier League ‘The Decider’ televised series, he shot a perfect game to be crowned the champion titleholder.
June – Emma Stevens – Track cycling
Stevens won the under-19 women’s Sprint and Keirin and came second in the time trial at the Australian Track Cycling Championships. She won the under-19 women’s sprint and was a member of the under-19 women’s team sprint for the Oceania Championships. She competed in the Junior Track World Championships as a member of the under-19 sprint team who claimed second place.
July – Jai Gordon – Athletics
Gordon won the gold medal in the men’s under-20 100m at the National Athletics Championships and place fourth in the open men’s 100m. He was also selected in the Australian under-20 team to compete in the 100m and the 4x100m relay team at the World Athletics Championships.
August – Declan Trezise – Cycling
Trezise won the Queensland under-23 Cycle Cross Championship. He also won gold at the National Cycle Cross Championships in the under-23 age group.
September – Jem Ryan – Cricket
Selected and named vice-captain of the Queensland Country under-19 men’s cricket team, Ryan then went on to be selected in the Australian under-19 men’s cricket team.
October – Josh McPaul – Hockey and indoor hockey
McPaul was selected in the Australian Country Men’s Hockey team and in the in the Australian Men’s Indoor Hockey team to compete at the Men’s Hockey World Cup.
November – Bianca Daniel – Powerlifting
Daniel placed first at the IPL World Championships in the under-60kg weight division. She was the first ever under-60kg (drug tested female) to squat more than 200kg in the world. Daniel broke two national records and two world records.
December – Hayden Siebuhr – Wheelchair basketball
Captain of the Australian under-23 Spinners Team at the Wheelchair Basketball World Cup. He was co-captain of the Queensland Rolling Thunder Team and he plays for the Brisbane Spinning Bullets in the NWBL.
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