Old Boys championing excellence at inaugural Sports Awards

For the first time, St Bede's College celebrated its sporting excellence with an event honoring achievements, contributions, and service across all school sports. From recognizing outstanding tournament results to presenting special awards, the night highlighted the depth of talent within the St Bede's sporting program.

Old Boys Tanner Stowers-Smith (2019-2022, Warriors NRL), Charlie Morrison (2017-2021, Black Sticks), and Dominic Gardiner (2015-2019, Crusaders) joined the evening to share their journeys in professional sport. Their insights and words of advice left a lasting impression on students and guests alike.

A heartfelt congratulations to Mike Fraher (1984-1988), who received the award for Outstanding Contribution to Sport – Volunteer, honoring his dedicated service to Water Polo at St Bede’s.

Here’s what was said about Mike during the awards evening:

The winner of this award has been the driving force behind establishing St Bede's Water Polo, providing boys with opportunities to excel in the sport and showcase their sportsmanship. Under his leadership, both Junior and Senior teams have won the South Island Secondary Schools Water Polo Tournament for many years and remained competitive on the national level.

He has dedicated countless hours to securing funding, planning, sponsorship, and ensuring the best coaching for our students. As an Old Boy himself, he has instilled St Bede’s values in every aspect of Water Polo, making sure the coaching staff are aligned  with the school's ethos.

He serves as chairman of St Bedes Water Polo, manages the Senior A team, and organizes key tournaments and prize-giving events. He has also built strong relationships with other Catholic schools to promote shared values of faith.

Water Polo may not be a high-profile sport, but thanks to his dedication, it’s become a special part of St Bede’s culture. 

Congratulations Mike Fraher!

The college also extends its gratitude to James Pullar (2002-2006), who sponsored the event which paid for all the food and new trophies. 

The evening’s two major awards were presented to:

• Bede Giera (2020-2024) – Winner of the Father Scambary Cup

• Genesis Sherlock (2020-2024) – Winner of the Sean O'Brien Memorial Trophy

It was a night to celebrate not only sporting excellence but also the enduring spirit and community of St Bede’s.

This is a full list of results from the awards:

Athlete of the Year

• Athletics - Isaac Saywell-Barbosa

• Badminton - John Holloway

• Basketball - Sam Choi

• Cricket - Makenzie Thomson

• Chess - Jaeger Pryce

• Cross Country - Samuel Leitch

• Equestrian - Alex Slemint

• Football - Tyler Mawhinney

• Futsal - Tyler Mawhinney

• Golf - Lukas McDonald and Cooper Moore

• Hockey - Oliver Eveleigh

• KartSport - Mac Templeton

• Mountain Biking - Ben Herman

• Rowing - Thomas Woodgate

• Rugby - Bede Giera

• Rugby League - Genesis Sherlock

• Skiing - Connor Carroll

• Snowboarding - Harison Staples

• Softball - Jayden Potts

• Squash - Benjamin Robb

• Swimming - Jayden Lee

• Table Tennis - Henry Robertson

• Tennis - Noah Darragh

• Touch - Maddox Wright

• Trapshooting - George Marshall-Lee

• Triathlon - Ethan Beetar

• Water Polo - Logan Rochford

• Wrestling - Luca Martin

 Special Awards

• Student Referee of the Year - Harry Hough

• Coach of the Year - Dale Maher

• Aspiring Sports Award - Softball 

• Resilience in Sport Award - Sam Bishop

• Outstanding Contribution to Sport - Student - Louie Hall

• Outstanding Contribution to Sport - Volunteer - Mike Fraher

• Outstanding Sportsmanship - Alex Slemint

• Individual Sport Sportsman of the Year - Cooper Moore

• Team of the Year - U17 8+ Rowing

• Junior Sportsman of the Year - Jayden Lee

• Intermediate Sportsman of the Year - Cooper Moore

• Sean O'Brien Memorial Trophy - Genesis Sherlock

• Father Scambary Cup - Bede Giera