Canterbury's best top secondary school sportspeople have been honoured at the 29th Zonta Awards at the Hornby Working Men's Club last night.
Christ's College's Louis Clark was named the winner of the best all-round young sportsman, who has achieved in more than one sporting code, with his national selection in water polo and provincial success in both surf lifesaving and swimming.
Lincoln High School's Millie Thompson won the same category for sportswoman of the year, for hockey, touch rugby, equestrian and ki-o-rahi.
The St Margaret's College under-18 rowing eight was named most outstanding team of sportswomen after they won the Levin Jubilee Cup at the Maadi Cupp regatta in March.
It is an event St Margaret’s has won six previous times.
The crew of Rosa Foster, Lucy Botting, Charlotte Darry, Anna Wilson, Kate Harris, Gaby McKellar, Emma Roberts, Sophie Lightbourne, and Claudia Bethell beat Waikato Diocesan and St Peter’s Cambridge for the title.
In a good year for rowing, the Christchurch Boys' under-18 eight won the outstanding team of sportsmen after winning the Maadi Cup.
St Andrew's College mixed adventure racing team won the mixed team award after they won the two-day schools' Coast to Coast race in February.
The most outstanding individual achievement by a young sportswoman and a young sportsman specialising in one sport award was dominated by two cyclists.
Burnside High School's Sami Donnelly won the sportswoman category and CBHS Lawrence Pithie won the sportsman category.
Donnelly had a host of achievements this year and was part of the New Zealand team that won silver in the junior world team pursuit in Frankfurt in August.
Pithie won double gold at the same event, announcing himself on the world stage in the process.
Two para-swimmers dominated the award for the most outstanding achievement by a young sportswoman and a young sportsman with a disability.
Rolleston College's Ella Benn won the sportswoman category and Hillmorton High School and Selwyn Swim Club's Celyn Edwards was named sportsman.
Benn broke the New Zealand record for the Women's S9 100m butterfly during last month's finals of the 2019 NZ Short Course Championships. Ella swam 1:27.80 seconds.
Edwards competed at the world championships in London last month where he finished sixth in the 100m backstroke, eighth in the 100m butterfly and 14th in the 100m breaststroke.
The award for contribution to sports administration by a young woman and a young man in a position of umpire, referee, coach or tutor went to a badminton and hockey official respectively.
St Margaret's Kate Baird won for her efforts in badminton and Burnside High School's James-Paul Mountstevens got the nod for his efforts in hockey.
The award for the most valued contribution to a team by a young sportswoman or sportsman went to Rangi Ruru's Grace Fissenden for her efforts in netball and athletics while the sportsman's award went to Middleton Grange basketballer Jimmy Williamson.
29th Zonta Sports Awards winners, 2019
Category one: The award for the most valued contribution to a team by a young sports woman or sportsman who is not eligible for nomination in Categories 4 or 6.
Girls Winner: Grace Fissenden, Rangi Ruru Girls’ School, netball, athletics
Highly Commended: Amber Williams, Rangi Ruru Girls’ School, rowing
Finalists: Charlotte Allen, Christchurch Girls’ High School, rugby.
Boys winner: Jimmy Williamson, Middleton Grange, basketball
Highly Commended: George Rutledge, St Andrew’s College, rowing
Category two: The award for contribution to sports administration by a young woman and a young man in a position of umpire, referee, coach or tutor
Girls Winner: Kate Baird, St Margaret’s College, badminton
Highly Commended: Gemma Harris, Papanui High School, netball
Boys Winner: Nathan van Slooten, Burnside High School, hockey
Highly Commended: James-Paul Mountstevens, Burnside High School, hockey
Finalist: Zac Barnett, St Bede’s College, basketball, Thomas Pilkington, Papanui High School, touch, Ben Weaver, Lincoln High School, touch
Category three: The award for the most outstanding achievement by a young sports woman and a young sportsman with a disability.
Girls Winner: Ella Benn, Rolleston College, swimming
Finalists: Montana Brown, Cashmere High School, para athletics, Alisha Mill, Avonside Girls’ High School, boccia
Boys Winner: Celyn Edwards, Hillmorton High School, para swimming
Category Four: The award for the most outstanding individual achievement by a young sportswoman and a young sportsman specialising in one sport.
Girls Winner: Sami Donnelly, Burnside High School, track cycling
Highly Commended: Macey Fraser, Rangiora High School, football, Charlotte Darry, St Margaret’s College, rowing. Gabrielle Rennie, Rangiora High School, football, Olivia Sloan, Christchurch Girls’ High School, archery, Ashley
Strawbridge, Rangi Ruru Girls’ School, hockey, Marisa van der Meer, Middleton Grange School, football, Sally Wylaars, Avonside Girls’ High School, rowing.
Boys Winner: Lawrence Pithie, Christchurch Boys’ High School, cycling
Highly Commended: Celyn Edwards, Hillmorton High School, para swimming, Kazuma Kobori, Rangiora High School, golf.
Category five : The awards for the most outstanding team of young sportswomen and sportsmen or mixed team.
Girls Winner: St Margaret’s College, rowing under 18 eight
Highly Commended: Christchurch Girls’ High School, hockey, Rangiora High School, futsal
Boys Winner: Christchurch Boys’ High School, rowing, Maadi eight
Highly Commended: Christchurch Boys’ High School, cycling under 20 Team Time Trial, Papanui High School, cross country, St Andrew’s College, swimming relay, St Thomas of Canterbury College, futsal
Mixed WIinner: St Andrew’s College, adventure racing
Highly Commended: Burnside High School, table tennis, St Andrew’s College, swimming
Category six: The award for the best all round young sportswoman and young sportsman who has achieved in more than one sporting code
Girls Winner: Millie Thompson, Lincoln High School, hockey, touch, equestrian, ki-o-rahi
Boys Winner: Louis Clark, Christ’s College, water polo, surf lifesaving, swimming
Highly Commended Wil Gualter, Lincoln High School, touch, rugby, volleyball.
