By Michael Esposito
THIRTEEN current and former Maribyrnong College students were recognised for excellence in their sport of choice last week.
Victorian Minister for Education Martin Dixon unveiled a plaque for each athlete to be placed on the school’s honour wall.
All 13 athletes have represented their sport at national level.
Among the honour wall recipients were Rebecca Lane and Danelle Mollison, who have just returned from competing in the World Lacrosse Championships, Australian junior fencing champion Alice Cuddy and three footballers who made the under-15 All-Australian schoolboys team.
Mr Dixon said the students, who are all part of the school’s sports academy, represented the future of sporting success in the state and the country.
“These students are already representing Australia in elite sport all over the world, and it is great this specialist Victorian Government school is supporting them on their path to further sporting glory,” Mr Dixon said.
“In just five years since opening, the Maribyrnong Sports Academy has created an environment of excellence, with the school now home to 430 regional, state and national level athletes across 18 sports.”
The students honoured were: Rory Atkins (AIS AFL Academy); Melissa Condon (Australian women’s handball team); Alice Cuddy (Australian and Oceanic cadet fencing champion); Rebecca Lane, Danelle Mollison (Australian under-19 lacrosse team); Nathan Pellissier (Australian table tennis Paralympics squad); Luke Pilarinos (Australian junior men’s boxing team); Gronya Somerville (Australian Commonwealth Youth Games badminton team); Guy Walker (Australian schoolboys under-15 cricket team); Hannah Wright (Australian national under-19 volleyball team); Touk Miller, Dillon Viojo-Rainbow, Peter Wright (All Australian Schoolboys under-15 AFL team).