Five Queensland Sporting Representatives Honoured

Mercy College Mackay have saluted their five elite State sporting representatives after superb performances in 2022 on the rugby league, touch football and hockey fields, squash court and athletics track.

The College honoured outstanding athletes Kayce Hoani-Vincent, Harper Shields, Cohen Jackson, Matthew Davies and Mikayla Webb on their selection in Queensland representative sporting teams this year at a recent Sports Assembly.

All five students proved tremendous ambassadors for the College while on tour and enhanced their reputations with top displays in their chosen sports.

15-year-old squash sensation Hoani-Vincent capped a memorable 2022 after receiving Mercy’s prestigious Sportswoman of the Year Award.

Kayce represented Queensland and Australia at the annual Trans-Tasman Schools Squash Tri Series Challenge in Brisbane where she remained undefeated in singles matches.

A product of Mackay’s Squash 52 club, Kayce lined up for her beloved Maroons against the best junior squash players from NSW and New Zealand at the Daisy Hill Squash and Racquet Club complex and lived up to her mantle as the number one ranked female squash junior in Queensland with impressive victories in both singles and doubles formats.

At the end of the Tri Series, the gifted Hoani-Vincent made her international debut in Australian colours as part of a combined Queensland-NSW team and won all her singles matches against the formidable Kiwis.

Versatile Kayce later swapped her squash racquet for a pole vault in field athletics and came away with a gold medal at the Queensland Secondary Schools Athletics Championships in Brisbane.

She will now focus on representing Queensland in the Pole Vault at the Australian All Schools Track and Field Championships in Adelaide from Friday December 9 to Sunday December 11.

Harper Shields survived the ‘big wet’ in Wagga to bring home a silver medal from the SchoolSport Australia Under 12 Touch Football Championships.

The classy middle player helped Queensland qualify for the gold medal clash against NSW on a rain-sodden Jubilee Park – with the young Blues edging out the Maroons 4-3 in a thriller.

Both sides had earlier cemented the top two spots after completing the five preliminary rounds undefeated with four wins and a draw.

Queensland recorded thumping wins over ACT (5-3), Western Australia (11-2), Victoria (15-1) and South Australia (18-1) and drew 4-all with the Blues in a second-round fixture.

It capped a fruitful 2022 touch football campaign for Harper, who earlier captained Capricornia schoolboys to a second consecutive State Championship; Mercy College to the inaugural Fast Four Mackay All Schools Under 13s title and helping the Under 13 Mercy Boys reach the last 16 at the Titans All Schools Championships on the Gold Coast.

Record-breaking sprinter Mikayla Webb captured silver medals in the 100m and 200m dash at this year’s Queensland Secondary Schools Athletics Championships in Brisbane.

After scorching the field to win gold with personal best times at this year’s Capricornia Schools meet, the 15-year-old Mackay flash boosted her State ranking to number two with dashing displays against the finest sprinters in Queensland.

Fleet footed Mikayla gets another opportunity to compete at elite level when she lines up in both her pet events at the Australian All Schools Track & Field Championships in Adelaide from December 9 to December 11.

Webb, a bright prospect with Mackay Athletics Club, acknowledged the influence of her sprint coaches Tina and Luke Morse from ASSET (All Sports Speed Endurance Training) who have added speed to her running technique.  

Cohen Jackson performed strongly for Queensland at this year’s National Secondary Schools Rugby League Under 15 Championships staged in Redcliffe.

The strapping forward, who signed a three-year development contract with the Brisbane Broncos earlier this season, helped the Maroons to a top four finish before returning to club side Souths Sharks and inspiring team mates to the Under 15 finals series in the Mackay and District Junior League competition.

He also steered Mercy College to a Cowboys Challenge Grand Final showdown with Townsville’s Kirwan State High School.

Jackson is one of eight talented schoolboys signed by the Broncos that will participate in an Elite U/15s and U/16s Pathways Development Program over the next two seasons in preparation for a career in the NRL.  

Hockey whiz kid Matthew Davies stamped himself one of the State’s brightest prospects with superb performances for Queensland at the National SchoolSport Australia 10-12 yrs Carnival in Canberra and Junior Under 13 Hockey Australia Championships in Hobart.

The midfield ace was at his dynamic best during the National SchoolSport 10-12 yrs tournament in Canberra where the undefeated Maroons finished runners up to NSW.

At the Hockey Australia National Under 13 Championship Carnival in Hobart, 12-year-old Davies turned in classy performances to help the Queensland Cutters secure a top four finish.

Earlier this year Matthew showed his leadership qualities during the Under 10-12yrs Schools State titles in Ipswich by skippering Capricornia to a second placed finish behind joint winners Metropolitan North and Wide Bay.  

By Chris Karas

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Mercy College Mackay’s Queensland State sporting representatives for 2022 from left Cohen Jackson, Harper Shields, Matthew Davies, Kayce Hoani-Vincent and Mikayla Webb with School Principal Janelle Agius