Schools gongs for Rasmussen, Lewer
Two competitors who won big on the world stage beat out a host of other New Zealand athletes at the Manawatu¯ secondary schools sports awards.
Gun Palmerston North Girls’ High School swimmer Mya Rasmussen and Feilding High School athletics competitor Jack Lewer were the supreme winners at the ceremony at the Awapuni Racecourse on Wednesday night.
Lewer is a world under-20 Para athletics champion and Rasmussen won three medals in the pool at the Commonwealth Youth Games.
‘‘It’s really cool,’’ she said. ‘‘Going up against a lot of other varieties of athlete who all have achieved great things, it’s cool to think the judges thought I deserved this.’’
At the Bahamas, Rasmussen, 17, won gold in the 400m individual medley, as well as silver in the 200m individual medley and 200m breaststroke.
She holds 26 Manawatu agegroup records, 12 Manawatu open records and four New Zealand agegroup records.
Rasmussen is heading to Australia in December to race at the Queensland championships, then will assess her options for where she’s racing next year.
She is in the New Zealand squad with the goal of reaching the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
There were tears from members of the Lewer family in the crowd when he was announced the winner.
‘‘We weren’t expecting this,’’ Lewer said. ‘‘I wasn’t expecting my name to be read out.’’
Lewer won gold in the F20 under-20 shot put at the world junior Para athletics championships in August and was the New Zealand flag bearer at the event.
All his throws were further than the Argentinian second placegetter.
‘‘Winning gold over there, that’s pretty crazy.’’
Lewer, 19, also won the sportsperson of the year (intellectual disability) at the senior Manawatu¯ Sports Awards in March.
He is planning on competing at the national track and field championships this season, as well as heading to Australia to compete and potentially further afield next year.
Some of the others who may have come close to winning the supreme award were track cyclist Libby Arbuckle, who went to the junior world championships, basketballer Callum McRae, who trialled for the senior Tall Blacks squad and went to the junior world championships, road cyclist Dylan Simpson, who went to the Commonwealth Youth Games, and junior world championships squash player Kaitlyn Watts.
There were also numerous New Zealand representatives and national champions in the field of finalists and code winners.
Such is the high level of competition, some New Zealand representatives weren’t even finalists in their field.
The team-of-the-year award was shared between the Girls’ High squash team and the Palmerston North Boys’ High School karting team.
Both have won the national title for the past three years in a row.
Waiopehu College basketball ref Joel La Roche and Girls’ High hockey umpire Grace Hunt were the officials of the year.
Manawatu¯ Turbos halfback Jamie Booth was the guest speaker and he talked about resilience and how he fought back from a major leg injury in 2013.
MANAWATU¯ SECONDARY SCHOOLS SPORTS AWARDS
Supreme female sportsperson: Mya Rasmussen (swimming) PNGHS.
Supreme male sportsperson: Jack Lewer (athletics) Feilding HS.
Female official of the year: Grace Hunt (hockey) PNGHS.
Male official of the year: Joel La Roche (basketball) Waiopehu College.
Team of the year: PNBHS karting team and PNGHS squash team.
Individual code award winners:
Boys: Athletics: Jack Lewer (Feilding HS). Badminton: Wei Lim (PNBHS). Basketball: Callum McRae (PNBHS). Indoor bowls: Sam Anderson (Horowhenua College). Boxing: Alex Jenkins (PNBHS). Canoe polo: Phillip Massarotto (St Peter’s College). Clay target shooting: Max Edwards (PNBHS). Cricket: Fraser Bartholomew (Horowhenua College). Croquet: Declan Leahy (Waiopehu College). Cross-country: Benjamin Wall (PNBHS). Cycling: Dylan Simpson (PNBHS). Duathlon: Luke Scott (PNBHS). Football: Jaeden Shaw (PNBHS). Golf: Greg Shaw (PNBHS). Hockey: Tom Tremaine (PNBHS). Inline speed skating: Sam Portch (Awatapu College). Jiu Jitsu: Zane Illingworth (Freyberg HS). Judo: Tristan Vignes (PNBHS). Karting: Jacob Cranston (PNBHS). Motor cross: Zac Jillings (PNBHS). Mountain biking: Adam Francis (PNBHS). Mountain running: Sam Bentham (PNBHS). 8 ball: Coen Bligh (Feilding HS). Indoor cricket: Fraser Bartholomew (Horowhenua). Surf lifesaving: Druhan Stephens (PNBHS). Rugby league: Awatere Kiwara (Manukura). Rugby: James Stratton (PNBHS), Ethan McQuinlan (Feilding HS), Josiah Maraku (Feilding HS). Smallbore rifle shooting: Lachie McNair (PNBHS). Softball: Liam Bassick (PNBHS). Squash: Corbin Faint (PNBHS). Swimming: Xavier Hill (PNBHS). Special Olympics swimming: Jeremy Price (Freyberg HS). Table tennis: Jae Lee (PNBHS). Taekwondo: Alex Petrovich (PNBHS). Touch: Brooklyn Herewini (Manukura). Triathlon: Adam Martin (PNBHS). Volleyball: Joseph Mafi (PNBHS). Water polo: Cam Pomana (PNBHS). Power lifting: Harrison Richards (PNBHS). Wrestling: Jack Scrimshaw (PNBHS).
Girls: Archery: Christina Cameron (Horowhenua College). Artistic roller skating: Frances Allen (Freyberg). Athletics: Tessa Webb (Feilding HS). Basketball: Amy West (PNGHS). Canoe polo: Kate Blincoe (PNGHS). Crosscountry: Tessa Webb (Feilding HS). Cricket: Sally Wenham (PNGHS). Cycling: Libby Arbuckle (PNGHS). Equestrian: Rebecca Aplin (Dannevirke HS). Football: Aniela Jensen (PNGHS). Gym sports: Michelle Ngan (PNGHS). Hockey: Kelly Carline (Waiopehu College). Inline hockey: Samantha Heyward (Waiopehu College). Inline speed skating: Serenity Griffith (Freyberg). Netball: Braxton Te Riini (Manukura), Diahn Tepania-Strickland (Manukura). Indoor netball: Kahleia Gerrard (PNGHS). Sevens: Georgia Ponsonby (Feilding HS). Rugby: Georgia Ponsonby (Feilding HS). Target shooting: Jessica Burgess-Smith (Awatapu College). Squash: Kaitlyn Watts (Freyberg HS). Open water swimming: Paris Cutler (Freyberg HS). Swimming: Mya Rasmussen (PNGHS). Table tennis: Abbey Webb (Feilding HS). Taekwondo: Janae Whakarau (Waiopehu College). Touch: Te Arani Te Puni (PNGHS), Kobi Hopkinson-Clayton (PNGHS). Weightlifting: Samantha Hansen (Manawatu College).