The Southern Sports Academy (SSA) celebrated another outstanding year of athlete development, recognising the achievements of its athletes, coaches, volunteers and supporters at the 2025/26 Awards Night on Friday 31 July at The Rules Club Wagga.
The evening brought together athletes, families, coaches, sponsors and community members to mark the conclusion of the Academy’s 34th year of supporting talented young athletes across Southern New South Wales.
Representatives from nine Academy programs took to the stage throughout the night, with Hockey, Rugby, Triathlon, Future Champions, Football NSW, Golf, Skate, Basketball and Netball all recognising their Athlete of the Year. The evening also marked an exciting milestone for the Academy, with both the Triathlon and Skate programs celebrating their inaugural seasons.
Guests were inspired by keynote speaker Nick Timmings, a two-time Australian Winter Olympian in Skeleton, who represented Australia at the Beijing 2022 and Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games. Sharing his journey from athletics and soccer in Perth to racing head-first down an ice track at speeds of more than 130km/h, Timmings reminded the audience that there is no single pathway to success in sport.
The Academy’s major award recipients for the evening were:
- Southern Sports Academy Athlete of the Year: Ben Devries (Future Champions, Triathlon)
- Jenny King Chairperson’s Award: Jethro Fenton (Rugby)
- Coaching Leadership & Excellence Award: Sam Donelan & Adam Mokotupu (Rugby) – Joint Winners
- Volunteer of the Year: Troy Pietsch
- UAA Indigenous Athlete of the Year: Owen Dinsdale (Hockey)
- Para Athlete of the Year: Jackson Gray
Congratulations also to the recipients of each program’s Athlete of the Year awards:
- UAA Hockey Athletes of the Year: Owen Dinsdale & Lucy Bolton
- Total Ag Solutions Rugby Athletes of the Year: Cooper Gersbach & Indiana Prince
- Triathlon Athlete of the Year: Chloe Milne
- Future Champions Athlete of the Year: Ben Devries
- Football NSW Athlete of the Year: Atticus Pavitt
- Jack Newton Junior Golf Athlete of the Year: Henry Molloy
- Skate Athlete of the Year: Manu Quaglio
- The Rules Club Wagga Basketball Athletes of the Year: Mac Cullen & Abby Crawford
- Wagga RSL Netball & Netball Officiating Athletes of the Year: Halle Baggio & Isabella Suttie
The Southern Sports Academy extends its sincere thanks to everyone who contributed to making the evening such a success, including the volunteers, presenters, sponsors, donors, families and supporters who continue to play an important role in developing the next generation of regional athletes.
Special thanks also to Dan Jamieson, who once again did a fantastic job as Master of Ceremonies.
Congratulations to every athlete recognised throughout the evening, and thank you to everyone who has been part of another successful Academy season. The future of regional sport continues to shine brightly, and we look forward to another exciting year ahead.
