ACG Parnell College

Senior Sportsman of the year - Jake Earnest

Jake has competed on the national stage in two sports this year, Mountain Biking and BMX. Jake consistently achieved top 10 placings at various national events in Mountain Biking, with his best result coming at the New Zealand Downhill Open where he placed 5th.

But, it is in BMX where Jake has really shone this year. Competing at the BMX Nationals, Jake placed 3rd in the highly competitive 16-year-old boys' category and later earned selection into the Cycling New Zealand BMX Performance Hub. The Performance Hub is a pathway programme for selected riders aged between 16 and 21 towards High Performance Sport.

For school, Jake placed 5th at the North Island Secondary School Mountain Bike Championships and was a key member of both the Senior Boys Football Team and Senior Boys Volleyball B Team. Jakes presence in goal for the football team was keenly felt this year as the team competed in the Auckland A4 Grade. Jake pulled off some big individual performances this year to keep his team in several games, always putting his body on the line to make crucial saves. He was also awarded the Senior All Rounder award for his commitment, dedication and never-say-die attitude. As a member of the Senior Boys Volleyball Team, Jake was an outstanding leader as Captain, a role which was selected by his teammates.

Senior Sportswoman of the Year - Sacha Earnest

Sacha is one of the countries top Mountain Bikers. She placed 1st for Downhill Mountain Biking for U17 Female at the National Championships and in the National Series, where she won all four races with times that were consistently 2nd or 3rd fastest overall including U19 and Elite Female.

For school, Sacha placed 1st for downhill at the North Island Secondary School Mountain Bike Championships and she is also a very valued member of the Girls Football Team, whereas one of the older students in the team, she was a great leader. Sacha was also crowned Senior Girls Athletics Champion where she won high jump, long jump and placed 2nd in both the 100 and 200m events.

Junior Sportsman of the year - Max Xie

Max has been a key member of both the Football Academy and Junior A Basketball team this year. His coaches describe him as a very committed player who is always willing to put the team first.

His versatility in both sports saw him regularly played in his least favoured position for the benefit of his teams. In Football, Max played every minute of the teams’ season and was awarded the Junior Football All Rounder award for his commitment and team-first attitude where he was a rock at the heart of the teams’ defence. In Basketball, Max was a starting 5 player for his team, and was crucial in helping his team place 2nd in their grade.

Max was also crowned Year 10 Boys Athletics Champion where he won the 400m and 1500m events as well as the 800m which he also broke the school record in.

Junior Sportswoman of the Year - Veronica Ly

Veronica has been a keen and reliable member of three sports teams this year. As a Year 10 student, Veronica stepped up to compete in U19 senior competitions for not just one, but two sports. She was a keen member of the Senior Girls Volleyball B Team and was rarely seen without her volleyball in term one as she continuously looked to improve her game. Off the court, Veronica also stepped up to umpire the Senior A matches. A role she did with great confidence for a junior.

Veronica was also a member of the U19 Girls Basketball team where she was a starting 5 player, and despite being one of the youngest members on the team, was always one of the loudest voices, always congratulating and motivating her fellow team members.

Veronica also captained the Junior Girls Football team.

Excellence in Sport - Sacha Earnest - MTB & BMX

Sacha has excelled on the bike in two different codes this year – BMX and Mountain Biking. At the BMX National Championships, she placed 2nd for 15-year-old girls. However, it is in Mountain biking where she has really excelled this year and is making her mark as one of the countries top riders. Two age-group National titles preceded a 2nd place finish at the New Zealand Downhill Open where Sacha competed in the Elite Female category. What made this result in the Elite Female category even more impressive was that Sacha only narrowly missed out on the top spot by 0.57 seconds.

Service to Sport - Chapman Family - Cycling

The Chapman Family have been involved with ACG Parnell Cycling for 9 years as team members, coaches & managers. Parents, Clive and Cara, became involved with the Cycling Programme when son Thomas joined the team and have continued right through with 2021 being their final year as daughter Piper graduates. In 2016 the family took over full lead of the programme including coaching two early mornings a week from 5:45am, managing the team at various weekend events and providing clear communication to all families involved. The commitment and dedication to Cycling has been invaluable to the Sports Department and all the riders who have come through the programme.

Senior Team of the Year - Girls Tennis

This year, the Senior Girls Tennis team, qualified for the Auckland A3 Grade for the first time. Qualification into the Auckland wide competitions is determined by the individual team members Tennis NZ rankings, and with half of the team still only being juniors, this is a remarkable achievement.

The team went on to place 2nd in the grade, which was unfortunately cut short due to lockdown. With one match remaining, the team were in a great position to be able to secure first place.

Team members: Helen Gu, Tanvi Kidiyappa, Alex Ioan, Gabrielle Gu, Sheetal Lal and Leah Yozu.

Junior Team of the Year - Swimming Boys Relay

Charlie Li, Bosco Ding, Oliver Lei & Sheng Ning Li have excelled as a team in the pool this year. At the College Sport Auckland Central West Zones, the boys placed 1st in all 3 relays – Breaststroke, Medley & Freestyle. These results qualified them for the College Sport Auckland Championships where they went on to medal in all 3 relays, including gold in the Breaststroke event.

An outstanding achievement with a high level of ability shown across various swimming strokes.