At Northholm Grammar School, sporting achievements are not just about competition, but about embodying values of camaraderie, sportsmanship and excellence. Whether breaking records in Cross Country, excelling above and beyond in Athletics or achieving top scores in various Equestrian disciplines, these accomplishments highlight the dedication of students as they compete across state, national and international levels in individual and team sports.
Northholm’s sporting events foster a strong community spirit and a commitment to personal and collective excellence and Term 2 was no exception; kicking off our term Inter-House events with great success in our Athletics Carnival. It was fantastic to see the athleticism and House spirit in the air.
Following the Athletics Carnival, the Hills Zone Sports Association (HZSA) Cross Country Carnival was met with equal success with Primary Years being named Best Performed School and Secondary Years placing third for the percentage shield. A range of students across the U9 to 18+ divisions moved to the next level of competition.
Likewise, the AICES Cross Country Carnival, held at Sydney International Equestrian Centre, produced standout performances from the top-performing Cross Country students at the HZSA Cross Country Carnival: U12 Girls Ashleigh Mansell (1st), U12 Boys Tyler Watkin (3rd), U13 Girls Sylvia Dagg (2nd) and U14 Boys Christopher Whiteley (2nd). These results placed Northholm Grammar third overall against over 80 AICES schools. An incredible achievement!
Following the streak of Athletics success, Ashleigh Mansell (Year 7) and Lila Oliver (Year 7) became state medallists at the Little Athletics NSW State Championships and went on to delight at the Australian Athletics National Championships in Adelaide. Lila was awarded a Bronze Medal in the U13 Girls 80m hurdles and Ashleigh was awarded a Gold Medal as State Champion in the U12 Girls 1,500m race walk at the NSW State Championships. Ashleigh placed 8th in the U14 Girls 3k race walk, achieving a personal best time of 16:34.46.
In Aerobics and Dance, our Northholm Aerobics Teams found success at the State Championships. Our athletes will progress to the National Championships in Adelaide in August as part of the NSW team. In addition, the Aerobics Teams competed in the NSW Regional Qualifiers, with all teams qualifying for the State Championships. In particular, special mentions to Northholm’s Primary Small Group who placed 1st, Secondary Stage 1 who placed 3rd and the Duet Team, comprised of Kirralee Bray and Bianca Irwin, who placed 2nd. Xanthia Hughes placed 1st in her Contemporary Solo Dance. Xanthia, Kirralee and Bianca competed in the Jazz, Aerobics and Lyrical audition classes with outstanding results.
In Judo, Max Zollinger (Year 11) competed at the National Championships, winning not only his age group, but the age group above him and placing 2nd in the Open Division. These results have earned him one of six positions in the Australian Cadet Team which will see him compete at the Cadet World Championships in Peru at the end of August. Max has also been selected as the training partner for one of the Athletes in the Australian Judo Olympic Team who is currently preparing for the Paris 2024 Olympics. He was selected for the Australian Cadet Judo Team to compete in two European Cup events in Teplice in the Czech Republic and Berlin in Germany. Max’s recent results have elevated him to be ranked 13th in the world for Cadets and 20th for Juniors. We congratulate Max on these phenomenal results!
Special mentions are deserved by our Junior Boys Basketball Team and Years 3 and 4 Football Team who were runners-up in the HZSA Competition. In the Hills Hornets Summer Season Finals, we congratulate our U16 Knicks Grand Final winners [for three seasons in a row], U16 Titans runners-up and U18 Magic runners-up. Well done to all three teams for an outstanding season in Term 2!
In Equestrian news, Grace Ward travelled to Coonabarabran to represent Northholm at the North West Equestrian Expo in Coonabarabran and came away with the following titles: Overall 12 Years Reserve Champion, 1st in Combined Training 65cm, 3rd in Overall Novice Dressage, 2nd in Freestyle Dressage, Champion Lightweight Galloway and 12 Years Champion Rider. Northholm Grammar’s Equestrian Team competed at the NSW State Interschools Championships over five days of competition. This event is the qualifier for Nationals held in Tamworth later in the year and Northholm qualified four riders to attend across multiple disciplines: Jessica Callus (Year 12), Alexa Garcia (Year 6), Grace Ward (Year 7) and Minnie Pembroke-Birss (Year 5).
Last but not least, Jasper Cook (Year 6) was selected to be a part of the NSW CIS Rugby League Representative Squad and was chosen from a pool of 150 students and Indie Leon-Searle (Year 6) competed in the NSW PSSA Championships and placed 2nd for Years 12/13 Girls Springboard Diving. Well-deserved achievement for Jasper and Indie!
As we reflect on the accomplishments of Term 2, our students’ achievements are a testament not only to their skill and dedication but also to the unwavering support from their coaches, families and the School community. These accomplishments highlight the diverse talents across various year groups and as we look ahead to Term 3, we are excited to continue supporting our athletes in their journey towards even greater heights.
To learn more about co-curricular sports, click here to download our Prospectus.
