Awards highlight Southland's impressive junior sporting talent
“The calibre has been amazing this year."
(Please Note: There is a full list of winners at bottom of the article)
A school sports leader is hailing the province’s young sporting talent following the Southland Secondary School Sports Awards held on Monday night in Invercargill.
Southland Secondary School Sports director Fiona Ward said she has been impressed with the high standard of achievements in 2023 which was highlighted at the awards evening.
“The calibre has been amazing this year,” Ward said.
One category which was particularly strong was the Male Senior Sportsperson of the Year Award.
Judges opted for joint winners - Kiseki Fifita (Southland Boys’ High School) and Marley King-Smith (Wakatipu High School).
Fifita was part of the SBHS first XV rugby team which won the school’s first national title, and he also was selected in the New Zealand Secondary Schools team to play Australia.
While King-Smith won gold in the single at Rowing New Zealand’s prestigious Maadi Cup regatta.
Other finalists in the category included Flynn Mitchell, who was part of the team which ninth out of 109 teams at World Adventure Racing Championships, Junior Davis Cup tennis captain Kai Milburn, disc golfer Levi Stout, who finished 5th at the World Junior Championships, and Marshall Erwood and Magnus Jamieson who both attend the World Junior Track Cycling Championships.
The Female Senior Sportsperson of the Year seemed to be a little more clear cut with Verdon College’s Caitlin Kelly, who won bronze at the World Junior Track Cycling Championships, winning that category.
Ward said the impressive list of achievements this year was aided by a return to normality in sport following a period of disruption through Covid-19.
“There are national and international opportunities opening up again for these students. Our sport was back on track this year, we were able to have a full secondary school sports calendar this year as opposed to the last three years.”
Ward paid tribute to the Regional Sporting Organisations, as well as the Academy Southland programme, for what they had done in fostering success at Southland secondary school sports level this year.
While the standout results had been encouraging Ward said there was probably some work to be done to try to increase overall participation in school sport across Southland.
She felt there had probably been a hangover from the Covid-19 pandemic when a lot of sport was halted.
Industrial action in the education system this year also had an impact.
2023 Southland Secondary Schools Sport Winners and Highly Commended Awards:
Contribution to Sport
Winner: Alex Black – (Verdon College)
Highly Commended: Leo Shaw, (Verdon College) & Trey Anderson-Kereti – (Central Southland College).
Invercargill Licensing Trust Award for Participation
Winner: Caitlin Crawford (James Hargest College)
Highly Commended: Abbie Middlemass (Southland Girls’ High School) & Benson Boys (Central Southland College).
Southland Secondary Schools Person with a Disability of the Year
Winner: Brooke Anderson (Central Southland College)
Highly Commended: Keegan Jackson (Aurora College)
Male Junior Sports Person of the Year
Winner: Malik Boatwright (Wakatipu Hight School)
Female Junior Sportsperson of the Year
Winner: Lily Keast (Central Southland College)
Highly Commended: Emmerson Dickson (Southland Girls’ High School)
Female Schools Senior Sportsperson of the Year
Winner: Caitlin Kelly (Verdon College)
Highly commended: Lucy Sinclair (Wakatipu High School) & Charliese Erskine- Southland Girls’ High School
Male Senior Sportsperson of the Year
Joint winners: Kiseki Fifita (Southland Boys High School) & Marley King-Smith (Wakatipu High School).
Highly Commended: Fynn Mitchell (Southland Boys’ High School), Kai Milburn (Wakatipu High School), Levi Stout (James Hargest College).
Team of the Year
Winner: Southland Boys’ High School 1st XV rugby team
Highly Commended: Wakatipu High School under-18 double skulls rowing