A Year of Records and Achievement
Wenona has celebrated an outstanding sporting year, with athletes excelling across disciplines from the pool to the track and the cross country course. This week's Sports Assembly recognised students for exceptional performances, consistency and contribution to the School's strong sporting culture.
The Wenona Sport numbers for 2025 are impressively strong. The School fielded 122 Saturday competition teams across championship seasons, the highest number in its history. More than half progressed to finals, with at least 20 division champions expected by the season's end. The Junior Firsts Touch Football team reached the J01 Grand Final, while the Netball Firsts claimed the S02 championship. Representative athletes achieved four top three team finishes, with 50 pathway representatives across 11 sports and 24 students competing at national or international level across 12 sports.
In the pool, a ‘golden era’ of Wenona Swimming, as our Sports Department has coined it, reached new heights. The 50m Freestyle final at this year's Swimming Carnival was the fastest Wenona has ever seen, led by Year 11 swimmers Ali and Kira, who both broke the 26-second barrier for the first time in the event's history. Both are Australian Junior Team and Squad representatives and will finish their House swimming careers holding records that will be exceptionally difficult to surpass.
Cross Country produced equally impressive results. Wenona achieved its best score at the Independent Girls' Schools Sporting Association (IGSA) Carnival, finishing second overall. Fourteen of our athletes qualified for the NSW Combined Independent Schools (CIS) Cross Country Championships, where the 14 Years team of Chloe, Grace, Sadie and Scarlett, all in Year 8, placed second in their division. Emma, in Year 9, placed third in the 15 Years division at CIS, earning her place at the NSW All Schools Cross Country Championships, where she finished eighth against the state's best young distance runners.
On the track, Athletics Captain Maya delivered one of the most defining seasons in Wenona Athletics history. At the NSW All Schools Athletics Championships, she broke the 16 Years Girls 100m record, a mark that had stood since 1979, and followed it with gold in the 200m. Earlier in the year, she also broke the IGSA 17 Years 100m record.
The Fencing program earned recognition for its continued growth, with skill, speed and athleticism on display at last term's Fencing Championships. Meanwhile Jackson House enjoyed a standout year, securing both the Athletics and Swimming Senior School Carnivals.
Twenty-two students received Most Improved Awards at the Assembly, acknowledging growth and dedication throughout the year. The Sporting Honours initiative, created by Sports Captains in 2022, also continued to thrive. Each term, between 50 and 80 peer nominations recognise students who lead by example and support their teammates, with more than 50 names now recorded in the Sporting Honours book.
Together, these achievements reflect a sporting community built on commitment, consistency, and respect.