Sports News Term 4, Week 2

Congratulations to our major sports awards winners and runners-up from last night's Sports Awards evening.

St Margaret’s Cup                                           
Outstanding Junior Sporting Achievement in one Sport                       
Runner Up – Olivia Vivian
Winner – Aliyah Daly                                                                                                                                                                                  

St Margaret’s Cup                                           
Junior Sportswoman – Outstanding achievements in more than one sport
Runner Up – Olivia Vivian 
Winner – Jessica Gearry

St Margaret’s Cup                                           
Best Performed Junior Team                                                                                          
Winner – 10A Netball

Sally Mene Tanoa    
Aspiring Leadership   
Bronny O’Sullivan                                                                                                                                                                              

Jocelyn Freeman Rosebowl       
Leadership in and Dedication to Sport  
Runner Up – Lulu Inglis    
Winner – Zara Gamble                                                                                                                                           

Mollie Copper Cup  
Sportmanship and Service to Sport   
Runner Up – Tilly Rookes   
Winner – Ellie Scotland                                                                         

Chris Arthur Cup
Best Performed Team   
Winner – Volleyball A                                                                                                                                                                                           
Excellence in Sport Award - More than one Sport   
Runner Up – Julia Mitchell   
Winner – Delilah Brown                                                      

Hiatt Cup - Outstanding Sporting Achievement in one Sport  
Highly Commended –  Millie Bell, Coco Flood, Aine Leeson     
Winner – Julia Mitchell                              

Reeve Trophy 
Sportswoman of the Year                                                                                                 
Winner – Delilah Brown

With summer sport now in full swing, Wednesday competitions underway and other competitions and coaching well underway, our St Margaret’s community is buzzing with excitement. Following a series of impressive sporting successes over the holidays, this term’s newsletter is packed with stories celebrating our girls, staff, and Old Girls excelling across the board.

Term 4 has a strong junior focus, with several key tournaments planned to showcase our emerging talent.

This week also saw us celebrate an outstanding year of SMC sport at the Annual Sports Awards on Wednesday night. Congratulations to all the winners—your dedication and achievements inspire us all. A full list of award recipients can be found at the end of this newsletter.

Adding to our pride, the New Zealand Herald recently named St Margaret’s the top sporting girls’ school in the country, citing our national championships in hockey, rowing, and volleyball, alongside countless regional and local titles. What a fantastic honour for our athletes, coaches, and staff—way to go, SMC

Koru Games
During the first week of the school holidays, our Year 7-8 students had the opportunity to compete at the annual Koru Games in Lincoln and Rolleston. St Margaret’s College was proudly represented by both a hockey team and a netball team, and both squads performed admirably throughout the three-day event.

The netball team had an outstanding tournament, making it all the way to the final where they pushed the game into overtime. Despite a valiant effort, they finished in second place, demonstrating incredible skill and determination. Our hockey team also represented the school with pride, finishing in fifth place after some hard-fought matches.

A big thank you goes to the parents, supporters, and coaches who generously gave up their time to make this experience possible for our students. Your support helped make the event a memorable and enjoyable experience for everyone involved.

Well done to all our students for their sportsmanship, effort, and commitment at the Koru Games.

Archery
This Wednesday marked the beginning of this term's archery sessions. Nine girls will be heading to Rawhiti Domain in New Brighton each week to develop their technique, learn about safety, and build foundational archery skills.  This is a fantastic opportunity for those new to the sport and a great first step for anyone interested in future competition.  Good luck to all the girls taking part this term

Climbing
The SMC Climbing team has had an exciting and rewarding time across Terms 2 and 3. With a mix of returning climbers and enthusiastic new members, the girls threw themselves into every Thursday session at Uprising bouldering gym, pushing their limits, building strength, and most importantly, having fun. Throughout the terms, the team focused on developing their technique, setting personal goals, and celebrating progress by reaching new climbing grades.  To finish the term on a high, the team visited the newly opened Boulder Co gym in Riccarton. There, they tackled a variety of challenging climbs and picked up new techniques on a fresh set of exciting boulders.  Well done to all the climbers for their dedication and progress!

Cycling
Emma Crawford had a packed and successful holiday, starting with the Junior Tour of Southland, where she competed against top junior riders from New Zealand and Australia. Despite it being her first year in the grade, Emma placed an impressive 6th in the General Classification and finished just one point shy of claiming the Green Sprint Jersey, all in horrific weather conditions, including hail and gale-force winds.  With only one day of rest, Emma was back in action at the SISS Track Championships. This Omnium-style event challenges riders across four races, with cumulative points determining the final standings. Emma dominated the competition, winning all four events to become the 2025 SISS U16 Girls Omnium Champion.  She also contributed to composite teams, competing in both the U16 Team Sprint and the U20 Team Pursuit, showcasing her versatility and commitment.

What an incredible effort from Emma. Congratulations on a stellar set of performances

Dance/Hip Hop/ Aerobics
In the holidays, Kyla McDonald and Lucy Hawkins proudly represented St Margaret’s College at the NZCAF Aerobics Championships held in Christchurch.  Both girls were selected to compete in their respective solo age group categories. While they didn’t place in the national solo finals, Kyla finished in the top 14 in the country, a fantastic achievement.  In the team events, both Kyla and Lucy excelled, with their teams placing 2nd in their respective categories.  

Well done to both girls on your impressive results at a national level.

Duathlon
Elza Harrington has claimed the U14 National Title after a standout duathlon season. She began her campaign by winning the South Island Secondary Schools U14 Duathlon.  Elza then travelled to Invercargill to compete in the New Zealand Secondary Schools Duathlon Championships, where she delivered a dominant performance in very wet and windy conditions to take first place nationally.  This is another stellar achievement for Elza, following a successful triathlon season earlier in the year. Congratulations on an outstanding year of racing.

Equestrian
In the final week of the school holidays, four SMC students competed at the prestigious Springston Trophy, the South Island Pony Club Premier Eventing Championships, held from September 25–28 in Blenheim.  Briar Sharp and Lexi Patchett were part of the Eyreton Pony Club top Team, which took out 1st place overall, making them the 2025 Springston Trophy Champions. This is a remarkable achievement at one of the top pony club events in the country. Also competing were Ruby Lemon who finished 3rd and Sophie Gibb who finished in 6th place.

Well done to all four riders on their outstanding performances and teamwork at such a high-level event!

Indoor Football
Our indoor football girls are back in action this term, training in the SMC gym under the guidance of coach Chris Walker.  These sessions are a fantastic opportunity for keen footballers to sharpen their skills and develop new techniques during the summer months.  Great to see such strong enthusiasm and energy from the girls.

Golf
On Tuesday, our first golf lessons of the term teed off at Hagley Golf Course. These weekly sessions provide an awesome opportunity for our budding young golfers to hone their skills, as well as for beginners to get a great introduction to the game.

Looking forward to seeing lots of progress and enjoyment on the greens this term.

Gymnastics
During the Term 3 holidays, a number of SMC athletes competed at the 2025 NZ Gymnastics Championships, representing Canterbury, held in Auckland from 23–27 September. 

Stella Yan (Year 5) took part in the Rhythmic Gymnastics Level 7 Performance category — and delivered a truly outstanding performance.  Stella was named the Overall National Champion, claiming 1st place in all four apparatus events; free, hoop, ball and clubs.

Lilly Eastmure was also competing in the Junior International level where she qualified for three out of four finals. The finals include the top six Junior International gymnasts in the country. The goal for Lilly was to make a final, and she made three. Her success didn't end there though as she placed third in two events, hoop and ball, and went home with two individual bronze medals. Lilly was also part of a group event, winning a bronze medal in that as well. 

Cherry Zhu was the youngest gymnast in Level 10 and despite not training for 11 weeks due to injury, placed 8th overall out of 21 competitors whilst placing 2nd in ribbon where she qualified for finals (top 6) and placing 3rd in the ribbon finals.

Korfball
Last Friday marked the first round of Korfball at Ngā Puna Wai for our 6 teams competing in term 4. Both our Senior A and Junior A teams, who combine with Christchurch Boys' High School, had dominating wins to kick off the season. 

For those unfamiliar with the sport, Korfball is a mixed-gender team game that promotes teamwork, skill, and fun. It’s a fantastic way for students to stay active in a social and inclusive environment. A great start to what promises to be an exciting season and an awesome way to spend a Friday evening.

Netball
On the 5th of August, the St Margaret’s 9A Netball team had the privilege of attending the annual Train With The Tactix event, a special opportunity hosted by VIP Frames and Trusses for their friends, family, clients, and supporters to step onto the court with the 2025 ANZ Premiership Champions, the VIP Tactix.

This was more than just skills and drills (though there were plenty of those!). The girls got to experience position-specific training sessions, ask questions, collect signatures, take photos, and even celebrate with a visit to the ice cream van.

For our team, it was a brilliant chance to work alongside their netball idols, represent St Margaret’s proudly among other young netballers, and be inspired by athletes they look up to. A huge thank you to the Tactix team for their generosity, enthusiasm, and for sparking the drive in the next generation of players.

A special mention to Mel Bullock- GM of VIP Frames and Trusses and Rory Shaw GM of VIP Steel for making this happen. Your support of our Year 9A netball team is very much appreciated. 

Rugby
On the last day of Term 3, the SMC senior sevens squad played the Mahuika Tournament. With a growing number of girls, we had a team of some experienced players and a lot of younger Year 11s joining the group. As defending champs, we were prepared for some tough games. We had a good start, gaining a close win over Villa Maria College before going down to a strong Sydenham club team. Another good win over Marian College showed our growing capabilities, and a close loss to Linwood meant we couldn't reach the final.

It was a great day and the new players learnt a lot about the style of game needed to be successful at sevens. Highlights included Bella Prince scoring with her first-ever touch of the ball in a game and the development of some of the new players to the squad, such as Amelia Knight (who scored 3 tries on the day). The experience of the old hands, Billie Williams, Meg Fahey, and Molly Ginnever was instrumental in the success of the day, with their skill and leadership of the team both on and off the field.

Rugby Sevens
A huge congratulations to Indy Gibson on her selection to the South Island team for the upcoming Global Youth 7s Rugby competition.

This is an incredible achievement and a testament to Indy’s hard work, talent, and dedication to the game. We’re proud to see her representing at such a high level – well done, Indy

Sailing
Over the holidays, Oak Galbraith and Mila Blundell proudly represented SMC and the South Island in the second year of Yachting New Zealand’s Starling Girls Accelerator Programme. They were among 14 of the country’s top young female sailors who took part in two intensive weeks of training, racing, and inspiration alongside some of New Zealand’s leading sailing talent.  The programme began with a high-performance clinic leading into the STACK Winter Championships at Murrays Bay Sailing Club on 25–26 September, offering back-to-back learning opportunities in a competitive and supportive environment.

This is an incredible opportunity for both Oak and Mila, and we’re excited to follow their progress in the sailing season ahead. Well done, girls!

Skiing/Snowboarding
Congratulations to Chloe Drinkwater, who has successfully completed the Level 1 Ski Instructor Course at Mt Hutt during the school holidays. Chloe was granted a special age exemption to attend the week-long course, which involved both technical skiing assessments and teaching evaluations. Despite being younger than the usual entry age, Chloe rose to the challenge and has now officially earned her Level 1 Ski Instructor qualification.

Swimming
Over the holidays, some of our top swimmers travelled to Auckland to compete in the 2025 New Zealand Short Course Championships, held from 20–25 September, and they certainly made waves

Kathy Gai had an outstanding meet, bringing home medals in the:

Silver - 50m Breaststroke

Silver - 100m Breaststroke

A fantastic achievement at national level — congratulations, Kathy!

Olivia Vivian also delivered an exceptional performance, collecting medals and placing in the top 7 across multiple events:

Bronze -  200m Breaststroke 

Bronze -  400m Individual Medley 

Bronze -  50m Breaststroke 

Bronze - 100m Breaststroke

In addition to her individual success, Olivia was part of three relay teams that set new Canterbury records:

4 x 100m Freestyle Open Relay

4 x 100m Medley Relay

4 x 100m Mixed Freestyle Relay
 

Millie Bell also had incredible results and came home with a haul of medals.

17 Years & Over Category

Silver - 50m Freestyle

Silver -100m Individual Medley

Silver - 200m Individual Medley

Silver - 200m Freestyle

Bronze - 50m Butterfly

Bronze - 100m Freestyle

17–18 Years Age Group

Silver - 50m Freestyle

Silver - 100m Freestyle

Tennis
Term 4 tennis got underway yesterday with the first hit-out of the season. While there are limited senior players competing this term, our junior players are stepping up and making the most of the opportunity. The focus this term is on preparing for the upcoming Canterbury Junior Championships, where SMC will be defending both the singles and doubles titles. Best of luck to our players as they train hard and gear up for another successful campaign!

Tramping/Walking
An action-packed Term 4 is in store for our walking and tramping group, and they're already off to a strong start with The Groynes and the Bridle Path walks completed.  Tuesday after-school walks are planned throughout the term, with upcoming adventures along the Avon River, up the Christchurch Adventure Park, and one more exciting location still to come.

The highlight of the term is happening this weekend (18–19 October), with a trip to Bealey Spur, where the group will be staying at Paterson Lodge. It's shaping up to be a fantastic overnight tramp where there just might be an ice cream stop on the way home.

Volleyball
We're already two weeks into this term’s six-week volleyball competition, and it’s shaping up to be a big season for both our Senior and Junior teams.  Our Junior players are preparing to compete in both the Canterbury and South Island Championships, while an exciting opportunity awaits a select group of Year 10–12 students, who will travel to Australia in December to represent SMC at the Australian Schools Cup.

Each Monday, we have multiple teams in action, with four home games hosted at SMC every week. This week, two of our Year 11 teams were in action playing each other, where Acacia Li stood out as a serving superstar, delivering a dominant run of serves in the second set.

Best of luck to all our teams for the rest of the season — we’re looking forward to more exciting matches ahead.

Tumbling
Over the holidays, Nim Poole competed at the National Tumbling Championships in the girls 15+ category. Out of 25 competitors, Nim placed an impressive 9th overall and was the 2nd highest-placed Canterbury/South Island representative.

Staff and Alumni
Our very own Julie Seymour, esteemed teacher and netball legend, has recently been away as Head Coach for the New Zealand U21 netball team at the prestigious World Youth Cup held in Gibraltar from September 19th to 28th. This elite tournament, held every four years (with the 2021 event cancelled due to COVID-19), brings together 20 of the world’s best U21 teams in a fierce 10-day competition.

Under Julie’s expert guidance, the team delivered an outstanding performance, securing the silver medal after a thrilling semi-final victory over England and a hard-fought final against Australia.

With Julie at the helm of the programme, she brings her wealth of experience and deep knowledge to help nurture this talented group of rising netball stars. Remarkably, 10 of the 12 players who travelled to Gibraltar have already secured full-time contracts in the ANZ Premiership for 2026.

The event held special significance for Julie personally, not only as a coach but also as the captain of the first New Zealand team to win the Netball World Youth Cup title back in 1992. Adding to the pride, her daughter Josie, an SMC alumnae, was part of the squad and became the 100th player to represent NZ U21.

We congratulate Julie on this incredible achievement and celebrate her continued contribution to the sport and our school community.

A big congratulations to two of our proud SMC alumni, Niamh McKenzie and Mezzy Surridge, who have recently been selected to represent New Zealand in the U21 Blacksticks team for the 2026 FIH Junior World Cup.

We’re incredibly proud of their achievement and can’t wait to see them shine on the international stage. Way to go, Niamh and Mezzy

Upcoming Events - 

18th & 19th October - Tramping trip to Bealy Spur

20th October - Junior Athletics 

30th October - Zonta Awards

1st & 2nd November - Canterbury Junior Korfball Championships

7th - 9th November - Canterbury Junior Volleyball Championships

18th - 21st November - South Island Junior Volleyball Championships - Invercargill 

18th & 18th November - Canterbury Junior Tennis Championships