Built for Balance
The launch of Wenona’s pilot Talented Athlete Program
Wenona has formally launched its Talented Athlete Program (TAP), a pilot initiative designed to support students competing in elite sport while maintaining the academic demands of a full school timetable as they balance competing priorities.
The program recognises a reality familiar to many of our young athletes; high-level training rarely fits neatly around assignment deadlines and examination blocks. TAP provides a structured framework to help students pursue excellence in both arenas, rather than compromising one or the other.
One of the key features is the new Year 9 and 10 TAP Elective, which combines athlete education with supervised study sessions and targeted training support. Across the year, all participants will also work with expert presenters on goal setting, performance preparation, recovery and athlete wellbeing, to build the foundations of sustained success at an elite level.
The case for the program is already on the record. Wenona's senior athletes have been competing at national and international standard across swimming, athletics, hockey, snowsports, water polo, sailing and rowing. These results, achieved alongside a full academic load, make a clear case for a dedicated program to support our students pursuing sporting success while laying the foundation for future students coming through behind them.
Recent Sporting Success
The Easter holiday period proved a particularly rewarding one for several of Wenona’s exceptional athletes who recorded standout results at national championships across six sports.
In the pool at the Australian Age Championships, Kira (Year 12) took first place in the 100m Freestyle and secured three further top-10 finishes, earning selection for the Australian Junior Pan Pacific Swim team. Ali (Year 12) added a gold of her own as part of the winning 4x50m Freestyle relay, with four top-10 results alongside it. Laura (Year 9) claimed third in the 1500m Freestyle and made four top-10 finals of her own, a strong early marker for a swimmer who is still two years away from Senior College.
On the track, the Australian Junior Athletics Championships delivered one of the cohort's standout performances. Maya (Year 12) won gold in both the 100m and 200m, achieving personal bests in each and posting the second-fastest 200m time by an Australian this year. She was also part of a 4x100m relay team that set a new Australian record. Sierra made her own mark at Year 7 level, setting a meet record in the Long Jump and placing third in the Triple Jump.
In water polo, the Australian Youth Water Polo Championships saw Daisy (Year 10) help Sydney University take first in the U16s, while Sophia (Year 9) represented UNSW, finishing third at the same level. Amelia (Year 10) capped the championship by earning selection for the Australian U16 camp.
Elsewhere, Zoe (Year 10) was part of the NSW team that placed second at the U16 Australian Hockey Championships; Olivia (Year 11) attended the Australian Institute of Sport camp with the Australian Youth Sailing team; and Heidi (Year 10) was selected for the NSW Junior Pathway Rowing team.
Congratulations to each of these students and to the coaches, families and Wenona staff whose support sits behind these exceptional results.