Sports Awards

Sports Awards

Last Friday evening the Sports Department held the annual Sports Awards. This evening was an opportunity to acknowledge the commitment and achievements of our athletes for 2024.

We were lucky to have Keesja Gofers (2007) as our guest speaker. She shared some valuable insights into the highs and lows of being an athlete. We were in awe of her determination, resilience and perseverance as she worked to reach her goal of being an Olympian.

Keesja enrolled at MLC School in 1999 into Year 4. In her final year at the school, she was the 2007 Sports Captain, an HSC High Achiever, was awarded the Senior Athletics Champion and Intermediate Swimming Champion prizes and received an MLC School Blue for Sport: all the while maintaining a rigorous National and International training and competing schedule.

While completing her HSC years Keesja represented the University of Sydney in various national water polo championships including the Opens National League and represented NSW in both the Interstate Challenge and the Australian All Schools championships; often being crowned MVP.

In 2006, Keesja was part of the Australian Under 20s team who won gold in the international tournament in Greece, and in 2007, she was selected to be a member of the Australian All Schools team which travelled to NZ, Canada and the USA. She was also selected to represent the Australian All Schools team in the Trans-Tasman Cup and was part of the Australian under 20s water polo team who won the World Championship in Portugal.

In 2010, Keesja become a member of the Australian Stingers squad and attended her first Olympic Games in Rio in 2016. Since then, she has competed at two more Games: the 2020 Tokyo Games and this year’s 2024 Paris Games, where the Stingers won the silver medal. An impressive achievement considering Keesja and her husband Scott welcomed their first child, daughter Teleri, just the year before.

Keesja was known at MLC School as a true sportsperson. Not only did she compete and perform outstandingly at National and International competitions, but she also gave her best for MLC School, representing the school every chance she had. She swam, ran, played basketball, netball, and, of course, water polo for MLC School. It was said that every team she was a member of was stronger for her presence. In her role as the 2007 Sports Captain, Keesja led by example; she was always one of the first to put her hand up to volunteer to help MLC School achieve sporting success.

Keesja’s contribution to sporting life is exemplary and she was, and still is, a wonderful ambassador for her School and her country.

Sports Award Recipients

Sports/Team/Title Award Student Name
  Thelma Coyne Long Award Kaylie Keogh (Year 12)
AFL Athlete of the Year Georgia Coxsedge (Year 8)
Athletics Junior Athlete of the Year Chloe Robic (Year 3)
Athletics Athlete of the Year Ruth Costello (Year 8)
Badminton Athlete of the Year Annabelle La (Year 12)
Basketball Athlete of the Year Bella Upcroft  (Year 12)
Basketball Athlete of the Year Mariette Karam (Year 6)
Cricket Athlete of the Year Taara Kotibhaskar (Year 12)
Cross Country Junior Athlete of the Year Maggie Ma (Year 6)
Cross Country Athlete of the Year Ruth Costello (Year 8)
Diving Junior Athlete of the Year Harper Begnell (Year 2)
Diving Athlete of the Year Ada Savage (Year 8)
Fencing Athlete of the Year Elena Sun (Year 10)
Football Junior Athlete of the Year Zara Nicholias (Year 6)
Football Athlete of the Year Georgia Coxsedge (Year 8)
Golf Junior Athlete of the Year Lavinia Xu (Year 6)
Gymnastics Junior Athlete of the Year Kristy Che (Year 6)
Artistic Gymnastics Athlete of the Year Isla Saxena (Year 12)
Rhythmic Gymnastics Athlete of the Year Isabella Wang (Year 13)
Hockey Junior Athlete of the Year Alannah Ng (Year 6)
Hockey Athlete of the Year Georgie Coxsedge (Year 8)
Netball Junior Athlete of the Year Dora Cai (Year 6)
Netball Athlete of the Year Anisha Sivagurunathan (Year 10)
Rowing Athlete of the Year Sophie Winnall (Year 10)
Rugby League Athlete of the Year Milla Caine (Year 12)
Snowsports Junior Athlete of the Year Marina Chen (Year 3)
Snowsports Athlete of the Year Haegan Sitou (Year 10)
Swimming Junior Athlete of the Year Dora Cai (Year 6)
Swimming Athlete of the Year Iris Ji (Year 8)
Tennis Junior Athlete of the Year Maggie Ma (Year 6)
Tennis Athlete of the Year Lana McLean (Year 11)
Touch Football Athlete of the Year Eadie Scott (Year 9)
Volleyball Athlete of the Year Amelia McNamara (Year 11)
Water Polo Junior Athlete of the Year Ashley Clapham (Year 6)
Water Polo Athlete of the Year Eve Ireland (Year 10)
Senior Rhythmic Gymnastics Trio Senior Team of the Year Isabella Wang (Year 13)
Senior Rhythmic Gymnastics Trio Senior Team of the Year Misha Behi (Year 11)
Senior Rhythmic Gymnastics Trio Senior Team of the Year Lam Nguyen (Year 9)
Service to MLC Sport Professor Joan Beck Award  Moira Peach (Year 12)
  Overall Junior Athlete of the Year Maggie Ma (Year 6)
  Overall Senior Athlete of the Year Georgia Coxsedge (Year 8)
Rhythmic Gymnastics Australian Representative Isabella Wang (Year 13)
Swimming Emerging Talent Ashley Clapham  (Year 6)
Athletics Emerging Talent Macy Bellew (Year 5)
Tennis Emerging Talent Annika Bou (Year 5)
  Coach of the Year Angelo Santangelo

 

Lisa Filby
– Director of Sport

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