SSP NEWS

Student-Athlete News

High Performance Program: Levi Tubailagi

Congratulations to Levi who has been selected in the Modern Pentathlon National team and Obstacle Course Racing National team to compete in the following international events:

· Under 17 Pentathlon World Championships in Kaunas, Lithuania in July.

· Obstacle World Championships in Beijing, China in September.

It is un unbelievable honour to represent your country and wear the green and gold uniform. Levi, you are really soaring to incredible heights! We are so proud of you and your dedication to training, competition and to our College!

Soccer Program: 

Evie Stosic, Isabelle Petsas, Mikaela Witt and Gemma Barrand

Congratulations to Evie Stosic, Isabelle Petsas, Mikaela Witt and Gemma Barrand on their selection to attend the recent 2-day camp with Football Australia’s Talent Identification Program. 

The camp forms a part of the FIFA Talent Development Scheme with the Junior Matilda’s head coach: Michael Cooper.

This initiative from Football Australia has been designed to identify and showcase the country’s best emerging talent. Our student-athletes were fortunate to be immersed in educational workshops, high performance training sessions and match practice against the best in the country.

We can’t wait to hear what’s next for you all girls! Well done on an incredible achievement – the sky really is the limit for you all!

Soccer Program: Evie Stosic

Massive congratulations to Evie Stosic on her selection in the CommBank Junior Matildas squad for a domestic training camp at Valentine Sports Park at the end of June.

The camp forms part of Australia's preparations for the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2026™ and the AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup China 2027.

Evie was selected to attend the camp as a result of her strong performance the 2-day camp with Football Australia’s Talent Identification Program, with Junior Matilda’s head coach: Michael Cooper.

Awesome effort Evie and kudos to the hard work and dedication you display to your sport.

Basketball Program: Riak Akhuar:

All the best to Riak Akhuar who is currently in Turkey as a part of the U/17 National team, competing in the FIBA Men’s World Cup. Your hard work, commitment and dedication are to be applauded. Only the very best in the country are able to do what you do Riak, so a huge congratulations from our entire College as you compete against the best in the world!

Special mention to Ash Arnott who will be the Assistant Coach for the National Team at the world cup. We’re so proud of you Ash and can’t wait to hear all about the tournament when you return to school, along with Riak’s achievements!

Basketball Program: 

11 Students selected for Victoria’s Country Metro Challenge

Congratulations to Aleeah Yeodell, Yak Yak, Sean Dela Cruz, Philip Majak, Mia Rundle, Miley Burnette, Lindsey Mugaba, Kai Porto, Emma Essumei, Indi Turner and Anok Noi who were all selected in Basketball Victoria Country Metro Challenge. This is a wonderful achievement for each student-athlete and a reflection of their training and hard work both on and off the court. Seeing so many students selected really is a credit to the exceptional quality of the basketball program, high calibre coaching and what we offer at WHC on a daily and weekly basis, as well as the dedication and commitment of our students.

Set to be held at Red Energy Stadium in Bendigo on Saturday 27 - Monday 29 June, the annual Country Metro Challenge provides athletes from Basketball Victoria’s Future Development Program (FDP) with the opportunity to compete alongside and against some of the state’s best emerging talent in a high-performance environment. The Future Development Program is the first stage of Basketball Victoria’s performance pathway and is designed to identify and support athletes with the potential to progress through the State Development Program (SDP), State Performance Program (SPP) and National Performance Program (NPP).

All the best to all of our WHC basketball student-athletes and we look forward to hearing from you all!

Basketball Program: ISF Visiting School – Hong Kong

SSP and the Basketball program have had a wonderful week with over 40 students and five staff visiting from an international school in Hong Kong. We’ve enjoyed hosting the group, who have experienced many highlights over the course of the week, including competing and training alongside our WHC students on our brand new court onsite at WHC (the gym and flooring really is amazing!) being coached by our world-class coaches from WHC - Herbie, Kaleb and Kris (Ash is currently away coaching the Australian U/17 team), attending State Development Program training sessions, training at ‘Courtside’ in South Melbourne, travelling on the Great Ocean Road – seeing kangaroos and koala’s, amongst many other experiences that will last a life time!

Special shout out to all of our Basketball program student-athletes who were incredible at coaching, guiding and training their Hong Kong counterparts, you really were all wonderful role models!

A special thanks to Dave Herbert for piecing the itinerary together and chaperoning the group for the week! Everyone loved it Herbie!!!!

Netball Program: Vixens Open Training Session

Check out Susan Meaney’s report on our Netball Program’s visit to the State Netball Centre last week to attend a Melbourne Vixens Open Training session. But, in short - what an amazing experience for all of our student-athletes, to be able to sit court side and see first hand the intensity and work ethic of players at that elite level. Our students also had a Q&A with head coaches Di Honey and Kate Upton, as well as interacting with all of the players – so very special!

Parent-Carer Information Evening: The Female Athlete

We had a wonderful turn out to our recent Female Athlete parent-carer evening at WHC. Our expert presenter was Emily Moroney: A Sports Dietitian (with a Masters in Dietetics) who has also completed a Bachelor of Health Sciences, majoring in Nutrition and Exercise Science.

Please find attached the content from our power point presentation from the night, plus the 1-page hand out and some additional information on Iron and Iron deficiencies that may be beneficial for all of our student-athletes.

Geelong Cougars Netball comes to Geelong!

We’re excited to share that the Geelong Cougars VNL teams will be bringing the highest level of Victorian netball to the Geelong Arena on July 12.

This is another fantastic opportunity to elevate women’s sport locally while strengthening our elite sporting pathways. The game night experience will mirror a GU NBL1 home game, featuring entertainment and courtside boxes and engagement experiences.

Attending the Game: Tickets are now on sale, with the championship game tipping off at 3:00pm.

Secure your tickets here: https://www.intix.com.au/event/victorian-netball-league-geelong-cougars

If you’re part of a local Geelong netball club, be sure to check in with your club about exclusive ticket offers available to members.

SSP Student-Athlete Behaviour Walking to and from North Geelong Train Station

We have unfortunately received multiple complaints from the Geelong Golf Course regarding members of SSP community trespassing across the golf course – on Ballarat Road (short-cutting across to Thompsons Road). The police have been notified by staff from the Geelong Golf Course and students caught cutting across the course will unfortunately be charged and fined.

We know that the majority of our travelling student-athletes do the right thing daily and we thank you for that. However, this shouldn’t be the exception, it should be the norm. A number of students unfortunately continue to be involved in behaviours that tarnish both our school’s reputation and our programs reputation.

We are asking for all of our student-athletes to be better. We are asking all of our families to please support us in having a conversation with your child regarding behaviour, safety and community respect when travelling to and from WHC. It is a privilege to be a part of our College and our program. Every day we wear our uniform, it should be worn with respect, pride and integrity.

Kind Regards,

Renee Lane (SSP Leader)

Congratulations 

⚽️💙🧡 Congratulations to SSP students Evie Stosic and Mikaela Witt on their selection to attend Football Australia’s Talent Development Event as part of the FIFA Talent Development Scheme (TDS).

The Football Australia Talent Identification Project is an innovative initiative designed to identify and support emerging football talent from across Australia. Selected players participate in educational workshops, high-performance training sessions and an 11v11 match as part of Football Australia’s national talent identification pathway.

This two-day camp will be led by Junior Matildas Head Coach Michael Cooper and brings together some of the most promising young footballers in the state.

This is a fantastic achievement and a well-deserved opportunity for Evie and Mikaela to further develop their skills, learn from elite coaches and showcase their talent at the next level.

We wish both girls every success at the camp and look forward to following their football journey! ⚽👏

Netball News

It's been a huge term too for the specialist netball programme and we are excited to announce how unique formal partnership with Netball Victorian and Melbourne Vixens, 

Through this partnership student athletes will gain first hand insight into Melbourne Vixens the Netball Victoria. This provides a pathway with opportunities to engage in training experiences, athlete education performance analysis strength and conditioning recovery, Athlete Q&A sessions and career pathway sessions throughout the academic year!! 

Additionally, students have already attended a Melbourne Vixens training session and some students have had the chance to attend a Vixens Suncorp Super Netball game this year. This is a ground breaking relationship we have been proud to have worked and driven this initiative with Netball Victoria and Melbourne Vixens to create unique and elite high performance experiences for our very fortunate Student Athletes.

Congratulations to all students who have recently participated in the netball Victoria association championship state finals. A huge well done to Aliyah Lesa and Zara Fereti on their outstanding performances winning the 15&U Girls State Title with Altona Netball Association a fantastic result. Jack TePaa also on his great performances as a member of the winning Hoppers Crossing Association in the 15&U boys division. 

Fantastic achievements!!!! 

Additionally, congratulations to Jack for making his debut appearance umpiring A grade in the Bellarine Football Netball League last weekend. Jack is a rising star in the Netball Victoria Pathway umpiring ranks and he will also be attending the QLD Netball Tour next term to officiate in the All Australian Netball Championships. Great job Jack!!

Senior Girls AFL Finish as State Runners-Up

The Western Heights College Senior Girls AFL team has once again cemented its place among the elite school football programs in Victoria, finishing runners-up in the School Sport Victoria Premier League State Grand Final for the second consecutive year.

After an outstanding season that showcased talent, resilience, and teamwork, the girls earned the opportunity to compete on the biggest stage against the highly regarded Rowville Secondary College. In a fiercely contested match, our team fought bravely from start to finish before going down 5.11.41 to 4.6.30.

While the result did not fall our way, the achievement of reaching back-to-back State Grand Finals is remarkable and reflects the dedication of the players, coaches, and support staff throughout the year.

A special congratulations goes to our captain, Bonnie Brown, who was named Western Heights College's Most Valuable Player for her outstanding performance in the Grand Final. Bonnie's leadership, determination, and impact on the game were recognised by all who watched.

This year's campaign was particularly significant for our large group of Year 12 students. For many, it marked the final chapter of an incredible football journey representing Western Heights College. Their commitment to the program, leadership of younger players, and contribution to the team's culture have left a lasting legacy. To finish their school football careers on the state stage is a testament to their hard work and dedication over many years.

We congratulate every player involved in this year's team and thank the coaches, managers, families, and supporters who have contributed to another memorable season of school football. While the premiership eluded us, the pride, character, and spirit the team displayed throughout the year exemplified what it means to represent Western Heights College.

Well done, girls, on an outstanding achievement and a season to remember.