The Merici College Sports Awards Presentation Evening on Monday 9 November, showcased the increasing enthusiasm and participation in sports at Merici College – an exciting development that greatly enhances the well-being and success of our school community.
Sport at Merici is about promoting physical wellbeing and fitness, fostering an understanding of healthy competition, building connections and, above all else, having fun! At the presentation, we recognised the achievements of Merici College students in various sporting endeavours, including Basketball, Snow Sports, Netball, Volleyball, Oztag, Touch Football, Water Polo, Sailing, Snow Sports, Swimming and Athletics as well as their many other achievements outside of school.
We were honoured to welcome Jess Bibby as a guest speaker at Merici College.
Jess is one of Australia’s most accomplished female athletes, enjoying an outstanding professional basketball career that spanned more than two decades. She played almost 400 games in the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL), representing both the Dandenong Rangers and the Canberra Capitals, and was part of multiple championship-winning teams.
Her talent was recognised on the international stage when she was selected by the New York Liberty in the 2000 WNBA Draft, achieving what many young basketballers only dream of. Bibby also proudly represented Australia at both junior and senior national team level, competing in international tournaments and wearing the green and gold with distinction.
What makes Jess’ story particularly inspiring is her resilience. After a serious back injury threatened to end her sporting career, she worked her way back to elite competition and continued to perform at the highest level for many years. Her journey is a powerful reminder that success is not just about talent, but also determination, perseverance, and a willingness to overcome challenges.
As if an elite basketball career wasn’t enough, Jess also made the remarkable transition to professional Australian Rules Football, competing in the inaugural AFL Women’s competition with Greater Western Sydney
Thank you, Jess, for sharing your inspiring story and the challenges you’ve overcome, which have shaped you into the incredible person you are today.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our sport convenors, managers, coaches and parents. Thank you for the effort that you have put into creating valuable opportunities for our students to participate in the Merici College Sporting programs. The contributions of our volunteers and their dedication throughout the year ensure that every season runs smoothly, and without their support, Merici Sport would not exist.
In particular, the Merici Netball Committee play an important role in making netball at Merici College thrive and excel. This a volunteer run committee, comprising mostly of parents and the school hold a great sense of gratitude for all the help our committee provide- team selections, trial days, coach and manager recruitment and general discussions. Ultimately to make this sport accessible for our students. A massive thank you to Tony, Donna, Claire, Shai, Kristy and Kellie – our 2026 Committee Members. We especially acknowledged the contribution of Donna Lenton who was awarded the Contribution to Netball Award. Donna has demonstrated outstanding commitment to the Netball community at Merici College over many years.
The Contribution to Merici Sport Award was also presented and awarded Tony Lenton who has shown remarkable commitment and contributions to Merici Sport. Tony has been a massive part of sport at Merici for a number of years and has dedicated countless hours to making sport at Merici flourish. He has been involved in Oztag as a coach, however his commitment and efforts in making netball at Merici thrive is where his impact truly lies. Before becoming our Committee Coordinator, Tony was also a general member of the committee and a team manager. As coordinator, he oversaw netball at Merici, and his duties included laborious admin work, team selections and trial days, coach and manager recruitment drives, attendance at Saturday games, not just as a parent but also a volunteer helping things run smoothly, attendance at regular association catch ups and being the middle man between the school, parents, players, coaches and the committee. This is a massive task, and especially of a volunteer, and the school is immensely grateful to this individual. As a school, we have always had the utmost trust in Tony to make decisions and make the right decision at the right time. Some of which can be extremely challenging, however always carried out with humility and minimal fuss.
Tony and Donna will be sorely missed in 2027 as they move on from their roles, however their impact on not only Merici Netball but Merici Sport will forever be appreciated and lasting.
Congratulations and thank you to all our players for your community spirit, passion, energy, and the sportsmanship you have displayed. We congratulate Mackenzie Singer and Pippa Robards, both receiving 2026 Junior Athlete of the Year and Tara Holmes, awarded 2026 Senior Athlete of the Year.
We applaud you all for your commitment and courage whether you played a new sport for the first time or played a sport that you love. Merici encourages all our students to have a go by getting out onto the field, court, lake, pool or track, to be active, involved and have fun playing sport.
