Four girls from Lake Macquarie helped the 12 years and under NSW hockey side to a national title on home turf last week at the School Sport Australia Hockey Championships.
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The tournament was held over five days at Newcastle International Hockey Complex and featured about 200 players from across Australia.
The NSW girls were almost unstoppable winning five of their six games to win the tournament, which was results based and did not have finals.
Local girls in the team consisted of Lucy Wilson, Eleebana Public School; Lily Crockett and Matilda Woolnough, Redhead Public School; and Sienna Harvey, Eleebana Public School.
The side was coached by Caves Beach Primary School teacher Thea O’Sullivan.
The NSW boys side, which featured Charlestown Public School’s Ashley Dimmock and was coached by Matthew Liles of Biraban Public School, finished fifth.
Dimmock, who plays for Norths Hockey Club in Newcastle, was goalkeeper for the side and had a tremendous tournament in front of the net.
NSW had two wins, a draw and three close losses.
Player one week, umpire the next
Merewether High School student Makenzi Harvey umpired at the 12 years and under Hockey Championships in Newcastle just a week after winning a national title of her own in Queensland.
Makenzi represented NSW at the 16 years and under School Sport Australia Hockey Championships on the Gold Coast in early August.
The side won gold after recording some big victories over the other states, including an 11-0 thumping of South Australia.
Swimmer adds national medals
Hamilton South Public School student Alex Walker has added to an already impressive collection of swimming honours, taking home seven medals from the School Sport Swimming Championships.
Held in Hobart late last month, the championships featured some of the country’s best young swimmers aged from 10 to 17.
It was Alex’s second year at the national event, and he came away with two gold and five silver medals.
He won gold in the 100m butterfly and 200m individual medley. He won silver in the medley relay, 50m butterfly, 100m freestyle, freestyle relay and all age relay. He finished fifth in the 50m freestyle.
Alex also received the Sportsmanship Award from the NSW team.
Locally, he is a member of Charlestown Swimming Club and says his strongest stroke is butterfly.
A school captain at Hamilton South, Alex recently received a Students Achievement Award at the Newcastle Learning Community Education Week Awards.
