MSA 2018 National Register

Every year Maribyrnong Sports Academy celebrates amazing achievements from their student athletes past and present. 2018 was another one of those years where we had a Commonwealth Games Rep on the Athletics track, to 3 boy drafted into the AFL as well as

Below is a list of MSA Athlete’s that have represented Australia in 2018.

If your name does not appear, please email your achievement to clark.darren.g@edumail.vic.gov.au to be added to the register

Yr 7 - Tayla Verdino Poomsae World Taekwondo Presidents Cup

Yr 7 - Otis Storti - Ljubas. Taekwondo

Yr 8 - Katelyn Dullard. Acrobats World Age Championships

Yr 8 - Tanisha Schulz Poomsae Australian Team Oceanias 12-14yrs

Yr 8 - Xavier Nikolovski Taekwondo

Yr 9 - Enya Talbot Hockey SSA All Australian Hockey Team

Yr 9 - Nia Stamatopoulos. Soccer u17 Junior Matilda's

Yr 9 - Milla McConville. Ice Skating

Yr 10 - Paul Tsapatolis Basketball u17 Australian Crocs - Asian Cup

Yr 10 - Marija Lukic Volleyball Australian u19 team -Asian U19 Junior Championships

Yr 10 - Keenan Spence Baseball Yomiuri Cup

Yr 10 - Chandra Abrahams AFLW

Yr 10 - Cooper Burns Hockey SSA All Australian u16 team

Yr 11 - Emerson Jeka. AFL AFL National Academy L1

Yr 11 - Tully Watt Modern Pentathlon Youth World Championships Tetrathlon

Yr 11 - Zac Triplett. Basketball SSA All Australian 18y&u

Yr 11 - Dimitri Han Badminton Australian u19 squad

Yr 11 - Lauren Taylor. Beach Volleyball Youth Olympic Games and FIVB U19 World Junior Championships

Yr 11 - Reba Stewart. Taekwondo World Taekwondo Presidents Cup

Yr 11 - Buku Khamis. AFL AFL National Academy L2, All Australian

Yr 12 - Marlie Hurinui. Softball u16 Australian Spirit team

Yr 12 - Georgia Petrakios. AFLW AFLW All Australian Team

Yr 12 - Cody Rodwell. Baseball Australian Schoolboys Invitational Team

Yr 12 - Luke Plapp. Cycling Australian Cycling Team UCI World Junior Track 

2018 Alumni National Representation

Celeste Mucci. Athletics 2018 Commonwealth Games

Amelia Mazza Downie Athletics 2018 wu20 Championships

Louise Mendes Athletics 2018 wu20 Championships

Jack Bytel AFL AFL National Academy L2

Gronya Sommerville Badminton Commonwealth Games

Stephanie Bunque Golf Queen Sirikit Cup

Teagan Newman Weightlifting AWF U20 Oceania Championships

2018 - Non Australian National Representation

Yr 9 - Sharys Kalolo. Basketball Somoan National Fiba Team - Oceania Cup

Yr 9 - Zavier Tetevano. Rugby League NZ Anzac Tag 20

Maribyrnong wins U20 National Basketball Championships

The Maribyrnong Jets Senior girls’ basketball team has won the Division 1 Championship for the second year in a row at the National School Basketball Championships

Our Team comprised of 3 year 11’s and 4 year 10’s and the girls went through the tournament undefeated, playing teams primarily from Victoria in the Metro and Country regions.

The girls played a dynamic style of game throughout all games, scoring heavily and restricting opposition teams to low scores with a great ability to disrupt ball movement and force the opposition into turning the ball over and taking bad shots. 

Maribyrnong played Yarra Valley Grammar in the Semi-Final, getting out to a fast start creating an early advantage and finishing with a convincing 82 to 40 victory. All girls made significant contributions with Ally Keating leading all-scorers with 25 points and Casey Paea creating havoc at the defensive end using her athleticism and anticipation to cause multiple turnovers. 

The Gold medal game was against Loreto College from Ballarat. They had been dominant in the opposite pool through the tournament and it was looking to be a tightly contested Grand Final. The Marby Jets came out of the blocks slowly trailing 15-8 through the first part of quarter one. The girls got their game going in extremely hot conditions and were able to establish a 16 point lead half way through the last quarter. We finished with the Tournament win and were able to defend our title with a score line 55 – 46. Victoria Ikenasio capped off a great year of development top scoring with 16 points to lead our team, while also receiving double figure contributions from Tess Barnes, Ally Keating and Casey Paea who were all consistent contributors through tournament.

Congratulations to Kira Bennett made the 3rd most 3 point shots for the tournament finishing with 12, and Jess Fitzgerald and Bella Dean played important roles bringing great effort and intensity to every game. 

It was a fantastic end to a very successful year for the senior girls group who have demonstrated constant individual and collective improvement across the year. They are starting to consistently play an attractive style of basketball and through their individual improvement they are achieving positive results and forming great chemistry that will bode well for a successful 2019.   

How Sweet it is for Olivia Honey

To make one state team in a year is an amazing feat for most junior athletes, but to make two teams in different sports in one month is a pretty damn good effort, and that’s exactly what year 11 Academy student athlete Olivia Honey has done.

This weekend Olivia will represent Victoria in the 100m and 4 x 100 relay at the All Schools championships in Cairns,  while in April, Olivia will head to Brisbane to represent Victoria in the under 19s National Netball Championships.

“It has been quite a surreal couple of weeks.” Says Olivia on her duel state selection. “ I have been trying to make a state Netball team since under 12’s and to finally be named for Victoria is great. My athletics career is only a year old, so to win selection for the Victorian team at my very first State Championships was a real shock.”

“I knew I was a fairly quick runner, but to run the time I did at the State Championship made me feel like I could have a future in the sport, and had I not have made the Victorian U19 netball team, I may have pursued Athletics as my preferred sport.”

Maribyrnong Sports Academy head netball coach and former Australian Captain Eloise Southby says Olivia’s selection for Victoria is a culmination of a lot of hard work. “  It was a remarkable achievement for Liv to make two state teams in a 30 day period. I think Liv has really been trying hard for State selection for the last few years in the 17 and under level, but I think has really grown in maturity, not only in the program here at Maribyrnong but working in specialist sessions, working with her Club team at the Geelong Cougars in the VNL and really trying to Develop her game.  The thing that has really impressed me with Liv is her work ethic, she really use every single session to her benefit and works at maximum capacity.  Liv has proven that if you continue to train at that rate selectors will take notice and opportunities will present.”

“Liv is a dynamic Wing Attack and Centre.  At Wing Attack she is a really zippy and nimble player around the court with great vision into the goalers and is able to put that right feed in to get the goalers into the right shooting position. The think Liv has really developed in her game is her defensive work in the Centre.  Her greatest asset is when the ball is turned over, and given the fact she can run a 12.05 in the 100m she is able to whip down into defense that fast, it become a real bonus for her team both in attack and defense.  I really look forward to seeing how Liv’s Netball and Athletics career work out in the future.”

Liv’s sporting DNA definitely comes from family with her dad Neil who was a Commonwealth Games Pole Vaulter while mum Di was a former Australian Netball.  Olivia’s sister Tayla plays for the Melbourne Vixen’s and her brother Josh is in the AFL AIS Academy and plays for the Western Jets in the TAC Cup.  Olivia’s uncle Gary was a Silver medalist in the Long Jump at the 2004 Los Angeles Olympics.