Junior Sports Star of the Year for 2023

Mackenzie Grimes


Winner 2023 Mackenzie Grimes Swimming	Runner Up: Bailey Harm (Swimming) (Sponsored by Toowoomba Land Rover) Junior Rising Star: Matthew Hawthorne (Hockey) (Sponsored by Holmes Smash Repairs) Junior Chase Your Dreams: Zara Kruger (Football) (Sponsored by The Athletes Foot) Junior Para Athlete of the Year: Taylah Chapman (Athletics) (Sponsored by Heron Eyecare) Primary School of the Year: Fairview Heights State School Secondary School of the Year: Downlands College (Sponsored by Clive Berghofer Land Sales)			Runner-Up 2023 Bailey Harm Swimming


Junior Monthly Award Winners for 2023


January Thiasja Samarawickrama Cricket		February Lachlan Parker Swimming		March Tiffany Ham Volleyball
TJ was a member of the Queensland Under 17 Men’s Cricket team who won at the Australian Under 17 Cricket Championships held at Hobart in January. From his performance as the second leading wicket-taker and leading fast bowler, taking 12 wickets in the tournament, TJ has been selected in the Australian Under 17 Men’s Cricket team.		At the Australian Open Water Swimming Championships held at Busselton W.A. in January, Lachlan won the silver medal in the Boys 14 years 5 km swim. This was only the 2nd time he had swum in this event and distance. At the Queensland Sprint Championships held in February, Lachlan won the bronze medal in the 13 years 50 m backstroke. He also made the final of the butterfly and freestyle at these championships.		Tiffany has been selected to represent Australia as a member of the Australian Under 19 Development Volleyball Team which will travel to Bangkok in April to compete in the Thailand Junior Volleyball Championships. Tiffany has been selected in the Darling Downs Under 19 Volleyball team to compete at the Queensland Schools Volleyball Championships.


April Porter White Track Cycling		May Zara Kruger Football		June Taylah Chapman Para Athletics
Porter represented Queensland at the Australian Junior Track Cycling Championships. He was a member of the Men’s Under 17 Team Pursuit whicho won the gold medal and in doing so set a new state and allcomers record. Porter has been selected as one of the first group of athletes to participate in a new talent support program at the Queensland Academy of Sport. He has done all of this at the age of 14.		Zara was a member of the Under 20 Young Matilda’s Football squad which travelled to Kyrgyzstan in March and Vietnam in June to play qualifier matches for the 2024 Under 20 World Cup. She has been awarded a future Matilda’s scholarship for 2023. Zara is signed with the Brisbane Roar A League for 2022-23 season and currently signed with the Lions FC NPLW team.		At the 2023 Australian Junior Athletics Championships Taylah claimed gold in the Under 15 Para Discus and Under 17 Para Javelin, silver in the Under 17 Para Shotput and bronze in the Under 15 Para 100m. Taylah now holds nine Queensland Para Athletics records and one Australian Para Athletics record and has been invited to participate in the Athletics Australia Target Talent Program.


July Geordie Cowdroy Athletics		August Bailey Harm Swimming		September Mackenzie Grimes Swimming
At the Little Athletics State Championships, Geordie won the gold medal in the Boys Under 17 years high jump & heptathlon and a bronze in the shotput. He also won the gold medal in the Under 17 Boys high jump event at the Queensland Athletics Championships. He has followed this with a silver medal at the Australian Athletics Championships with a jump of 2.04m, missing the Youth Commonwealth games qualifier by 4cm.		Competing as a member of the Queensland team at the School Sport Australia National Championships, Bailey won six Australian Championship medals. He won the gold medal in the Boys 15 years 50m freestyle with a time of 24.07 sec., the 15/16 years Medley Relay and 15/16 years 4 x 50m freestyle relay. He also won the silver medal in the Boys 15 years 50m breaststroke and mixed freestyle relay and a bronze medal in the 13-19 years 100m freestyle relay.		At the Age National Swimming Championships at the Gold Coast, Mackenzie won the gold medal in the Girls 15 years 200m backstroke, the silver medal in the 50m backstroke and the gold in the mixed relay. Competing in the Schools National Swimming Championships at Sydney Olympic Park Mackenzie won three individual gold medals and multiple relay team gold. She has been awarded a Hancock Prospecting Patron Scholarship to foster the development of the next generation of Olympians.


October Bianca Markham Softball		November Matt Hawthorne Hockey		December Taj Gordon Athletics
Bianca captained the Queensland Under 18 Women’s Softball team to 4th position at the National Under 18 Softball Championships. From her performance at these championships, she was selected in the Australian Softball Talent Development Squad and travelled to the AIS in Canberra for a training camp. From her performance at this training camp Bianca was selected in the Australian Women’s Under 19 Softball team.		Matt was a member of the Queensland Men’s Under 18 Hockey team which won the silver medal at the Australian Under 18 Championships. From his performance at these championships, he has been selected in the Australian Under 18 Futures Squad. He was a member of the Toowoomba Under 18 Men’s Hockey team which won the gold medal at the State Championships.		At the Australian Athletics Championships, Taj won the silver medal in the Men’s Under 18 110m hurdles and a bronze in the 4 x 100m relay. He competed at the Queensland All Schools Athletics Championships where he won the gold medal in the Under 18, 110m hurdles, bronze in the Under 18 100m and 200m. Taj also competed at the 13-19 years Queensland Athletics Championships where he won the gold in the 17 years 110m hurdles and 4 x 100m relay.