Kinross Wolaroi Family Bulletin

Senior School Sport & 

Co-curricular 

Rowing Success

Historic Weekend for Kinross Wolaroi Rowing

 

It was a weekend for the history books—breathtaking, relentless, and utterly dominant. The NSW Schoolgirl and Schoolboy Head of the River regattas saw over 2,000 of the state's best Under-19 rowers fight for supremacy, and Kinross Wolaroi rose to the challenge, delivering a near-perfect campaign.

 

A Huge Thank You to Our Sponsors

 

Before diving into the results, we extend a huge thank you to our incredible sponsors, Orange City Mazda and Central West Equine. Their unwavering support is instrumental in the success of our program, providing invaluable resources that allow our athletes to train, compete, and perform at the highest level. The Kinross Wolaroi Rowing community is truly grateful for their generosity and belief in our athletes.

 

Schoolgirl Success

 

The NSW Schoolgirl Head of the River - famed for its electric, loud atmosphere - unfolded in wild, wet, and windy conditions, but our 53-strong squad was undeterred. While Sydney-based schools lined Castlereagh Road with banners of support, our girls let their oars do the talking, producing an unforgettable day on the water.

 

Alumna and Australian representative Bella Scammell ignited the charge, claiming victory in the Sprint Eliminator over none other than Australia’s Olympic single sculler.

The Year 9 girls’ quads followed with a commanding performance - gold for both the 3rd and 2nd Quads, and bronze for the 1st Quad in a thrilling final. The Year 10 2nd Quad reinforced the squad’s depth with a classy, dominant win, overcoming a week of adversity to row with precision and power.

 

Then came the grand finale—the Senior Girls' Eights.

 

The 3rd Eight, a crew of seven returning rowers seeking one last Head of the River experience, delivered an outstanding silver medal finish—an incredible feat for a crew that had trained together just twice.

 

The 2nd Eight delivered a wire-to-wire masterclass, storming to an emphatic victory.

And in the race of the day, the 1st Eight held off a heart-stopping late surge from defending champions St Catherine’s, clinching gold by just 0.34 seconds. With a disrupted fortnight of preparation, this was a triumph of sheer grit and resilience.

 

🏆 Schoolgirl Results:

  • SG 1st VIII – Champions
  • SG 2nd VIII – Champions
  • SG 3rd VIII – Silver Medal
  • SG Year 10 2nd Quad – Champions
  • SG Year 9 1st Quad – Bronze Medal
  • SG Year 9 2nd Quad – Champions
  • SG Year 9 3rd Quad – Champions

 

Schoolboy Dominance

 

Not to be outdone, the Kinross Wolaroi Schoolboys produced a historic clean sweep in the Senior Quad divisions and came agonisingly close to the overall points title, falling just short against the depth of their Sydney counterparts.

 

🏆 Schoolboy Results:

  • SB 1st Quad – Champions
  • SB 2nd Quad – Champions
  • SB 3rd Quad – Champions
  • SB Year 10 1st Quad – Champions
  • SB Year 10 2nd Quad – Silver Medal
  • SB Year 10 Single (Hamish Searle) – Champion
  • Year 9 1st Quad – Champions
  • Year 9 3rd Quad – Bronze Medal

Kinross stamped its authority once again, sweeping the Year 9 1st Quad, Year 10 1st Quad, and the Open 1st Quad for the second major regatta in a row. Even more impressively, the Open Schoolboy squad secured the ‘Triple Crown,’ winning all three Senior Quad divisions for the second consecutive year.

 

The Year 9 quads were particularly outstanding. The 3rd Quad battled to a bronze, the 2nd Quad placed fourth in a razor-tight race, and the 1st Quad (Heathcliffe Bell, Xavier Zinga, Ash Robinson and Angus Sawtell coxed by Sam Thomas) stormed to victory by a boat length and a half in a scorching new course record  of 3:11.44 beating the previous record set by St Augustines in 2017 with a time of 3:12.28. 

 

The Year 10 1st Quad produced a thrilling victory, while the Year 10 2nd Quad showed immense determination, surging from 6th place at the 500m mark to claim a silver medal.

 

Eyes on Nationals

 

As we reflect on an almost perfect weekend for Kinross Wolaroi Rowing, attention now shifts to Nationals in Tasmania, with an intense fortnight of preparation already underway for our squad of 42 athletes.

 

Once again, a heartfelt thank you to Orange City Mazda and Central West Equine—your support makes a world of difference to our program.

 

Congratulations to all Kinross Wolaroi rowers on a truly historic Head of the River weekend. Best of luck to all sports teams for the remainder of their seasons—what a weekend!

Ben Watt

MIC Rowing

Waterpolo 

Hydra - Junior team 

Win v Lear Jets - 6-3

Win v Waterdragons 10-3

 

The first game against Lear Jets was close in the first two quarters, and we were struggling to get back in defence however by the second half we had boosted our defence and scored four goals in strong counter attacks!! 

 

The second game against Waterdragons we played slightly worse on the defence, but we made up for it with our incredible attack, Alfie Lord and Austin Wark made some amazing shots at goals.

Players player: Austin Wark, is awarded incredible All Round player he defended well and made amazing counterattack. 

Captain - Nick Sweetapple 

WATER POLO CAPTAIN'S PLAYER OF THE WEEK:

 

Felix Kairaitis, Felix had a great game for the 2nds Krill team. A highlight of the game was his goal against the Barracudas 1st's . Sitting in front of the goal Felix received a pass from Lillian Armstrong and tapped the ball in. This goal was a great display of not only Felix’s skill but also the teamwork displayed by the Krill. Great work Felix. 

Kymarni Astill and Tim Lowther Water Polo Captains

JUNIOR MENTOR CAPTAINS PLAYER OF THE WEEK:

 

The junior player of the week goes to Mila Yabsley-Bell! As the only girl on her team, Mila continues to sharpen her skills and make her mark on the field, never hesitating to go after the ball. Congrats Mila!  

Emily Clunas Junior Mentor Captain

Baracudas 1st's Team:

On Thursday 6 March, KWS 1st's played the 2nd's team. This game acted as a fun opportunity to test out new positioning and skills learnt from our training and put it into action in a friendly game.  Tom Tink stood by scoring numerous goals whilst still ensuring the new positions we have been practicing were maintained. 

 

Both sides supported each other whilst the 1sts did secure a convincing win, both sides showed improvement and skill development from previous weeks and this trend of improvement will hopefully continue in the weeks to come.

Captain Tim Lowther and Kymarni Astill

U12's NSW Waterpolo three day Festival March 7th, 8th & 9th of March

A big thank you to the Gap students Jade Coetzee and Kaeden Posthumus as the MIC of Water Polo for KWS and Club delegate and organiser for this festival I thank them for their outstanding commitment to assist and coach the festival at Orange Aquatic Centre over the weekend. These young gentleman are outstanding!

 

Jade coached one of the Orange Waterpolo boys teams (which had two of our players, Freddie Mendl and Nick Strahorn, as well as Balmain players - Orange 'A' boys team), 

Their professionalism and passion with coaching and assistance wherever needed around the tournament was impressive. Thank you to Kaeden for assisting where needed and running the central clock for both games.

 

These young gentlemen were thanked and praised highly by all Orange Water Polo Club parents, Balmain parents and Water Polo NSW event and referee coordinators. Everyone over the weekend who had an interaction with these young men could only sing their praises.

 

The Orange Waterdragons Club team - Orange 'A' boys coached by Jade won their last game and came 5th overall in a ladder of 15. This is an excellent result! They played Sydney University and UTS Balmain and other teams from around the state. Congratulations to Jade for his coaching and guidance of these young boys. 

Basketball

We are down to the business end of the season with next week being the last of the rounds. Excitingly, we have lots of teams with the potential to extend their season into finals.

 

Our Women's 1sts are currently in 4th place in the Premier Women's Div 1 comp. We have won our last 3 matches and are really starting to hit our straps.

 

Our 1sts boys, playing in Premier High School Div 2 are sitting 3rd, only 3 points back from 1st. Teamwork in defence has been a signature of our season, the boys are working hard on their shooting to make the most of our hard-fought possession.

 

In the High School Boys Senior 2 comp; Nets - 1st, Jets - 2nd, and Lakers - 3rd have had great seasons so far and should feature strongly in finals.

 

In High School Girls Div 2, The Hawks are undefeated in their last 3 outings to be sitting 2nd on the ladder. Magpies, Eagles, Wolves and Tigers are all closely bunched with all teams having the potential to make the final 4.

 

In Div 3 The Wildcats are currently 3rd, coached by Yr 12 Student Emily Turner, their defence and hunger on the court has helped them edge out some close wins. Pumas and Cheetahs are close behind, with again either side able to finish in the final 4.

Lee Taylor

MIC Basketball

Hockey 

The 2025 season is off to a fantastic start for hockey. KWS recently participated in the WAS Hockey trials, with many of our students earning selection in their respective teams:

 

U15 Girls: Paxton Buckerfield (Year 9), Josie Curry (Year 8), Phoebe Lyons (Year 9), Isabelle Provost (Year 8), Frankie Mitchell (Year 9), Mackenzie Mitchell (Year 8), Stella Mitchell (Year 7), Ingrid West (Year 8).

 

Open Girls: Phoebe Hunter (Year 11), Abbie Lyons (Year 11), Lara McGuigan (Year 12), Chloe Provost (Year 10), Grace Shea (Year 11), Bianca Wong (Year 11), Clare Wood (Year 11), Zoe Wood (Year 12).

 

Open Boys: Rhys Jones (Year 12), Freddie Mendl (Year 7), Archie Roberts (Year 10), Lachlan Watts (Year 12), Harry Yelland (Year 9).

 

These talented players will travel to Newcastle for the AICES Championships on Thursday, 1 May. Congratulations to all on this achievement and the opportunity to compete at the next level.

 

Hockey trials will begin in the coming weeks. Stay updated by joining the Hockey group on the Hub—further details will be confirmed later this week.

 

Jane Crellen

MIC Hockey

Softball 

Congratulations to Sophie Williams (Year 11) on her selection for the NSW CIS Open Girls Softball team! Sophie will represent NSW CIS at the NSW All Schools Girls 18&U Softball Championships in Blacktown on Monday, 10 March. We wish her all the best for the competition.

WAS Swimming Carnival

A Fantastic Display of Kinross Wolaroi Spirit

 

On March 7 2025, we hosted the WAS Swimming Carnival at the School's Eric Solling Pool, where 50 of our dedicated swimmers proudly represented Kinross Wolaroi School.

 

For many of our junior swimmers, this was their first experience competing against other schools at a senior level. It was inspiring to see our senior students offering guidance and support, helping them navigate the competition with confidence. Despite some pre-race nerves, our swimmers embraced the challenge and demonstrated outstanding competitiveness.

 

Our team delivered an exceptional performance, securing victory in 8 out of 12 relays - a testament to our strength and determination in the pool. The WAS carnival provided invaluable preparation for the upcoming ISA Carnival, set to take place at Sydney Olympic Park on Tuesday 18 March. We are excited to take a team of 39 swimmers to compete against 17 other schools in the Independent Sporting Association.

 

Congratulations to all our swimmers on a fantastic carnival—your hard work and school spirit continue to make us proud!

Brooke Turner

Aquatics coordinator

Orange Running Festival

The Kinross Wolaroi School triathlon team, plus a number of junior school and senior school runners, competed in the Orange Running Festival's 2km 'school dash' on Sunday. Our students came away with 1st place in the High School section and included some notable performances:

  • Max Horne 4th place overall after placing as 1st male finisher (15 and under) in the 5km race
  • Skye Napier 6th place overall and 1st female finisher.
  • Sam Commins 8th place

Triathlon

On Tuesday 25 February, the triathlon team travelled to Penrith to compete in the NSW All Schools Triathlon competition. We had 20 students compete in individual events on Wednesday 26 February and 24 students compete in team events on Thursday 27 February.

 

The triathletes competed in races with distances ranging from 300m-750m swim, 10-20km ride, and 2-4km run, depending on the age group. A special mention to Sam Commins and Max Horne placing 11th and 17th respectively in the intermediates CIS age group, the best results of the team. Everyone who competed in the individual race placed in the top 50 of their age group, which was a huge effort, especially in the scorching 35 degree sun. 

 

Also, a congratulations to all the students completing their longest triathlon and first All Schools, which was more than half of the triathlon team. Everyone was very supportive of each other, with everyone getting a cheer squad as they reached the finish line or high fives as they ran past each other in the race. When not at the Regatta Centre, the tri team was able to explore Penrith Westfield and have some downtime together watching “Wicked” at the movies eating lots of well-deserved snacks. 

 

This trip brought the team a lot closer, strengthening the fun and friendly triathlon community we have. It was great to see everyone chatting all together, whether it was reflecting on the races, laughing around the dinner table or bonding over the All Schools traditions that have been formed over the years. Overall, the team raced extremely well resulting in our best performance of the season.