Wagga High School celebrates student athletes at sports assembly

Recognising the junior rugby league player of the year, the Geoff Honey Memorial Award was presented to Xavier Kingwill.

The 15-year-old has been playing rugby league his whole life and was shocked to hear he won the award.

"I was surprised because a couple of my friends, I reckon they're all a bit better than me. I thought they were going to get it," Kingwill said.

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Since moving to Wagga in 2018 Kingwill has enjoyed playing both local and school rugby.

"I moved to Wagga in 2018 and play for the Kangaroos. Rugby is really good, everyone is welcome and you get a bunch of life lessons from it," he said.

Kingwill is excited to pass on the news to his family and believes his grandparents will be especially excited.

A St George Illawarra fan, he would like to play for the club one day, with his eyes set on making it to the NRL.

"I've always wanted to play for them, but just making it in general would be amazing," he said.

Geoff Honey is an ex-Wagga High School student who excelled at numerous sports, representing Wagga, the Riverina, and NSW during his time at the school.

Also awarded was the Tracy Suitor Memorial Award. Tracy was an excellent swimmer who held numerous school records prior to her passing.

Her memorial trophy is awarded annually to the student who has broken the longest standing sport record in that year.

For 2022, Mason Mescia received the award for breaking the 15 years boys 1500m track event record with a time of 4.56.17 minutes.

Mescia's time beat the more than 40-years-old record by more than two seconds.

At the assembly to present the award was Tracy's father, Neville Suitor and his granddaughter, Isabella.

Suitor said the award is important in remembering his daughter, who passed away at just 16-years-old in 198.

"She had a lot of records and she was very special in the pool. She had her last record broken only two years ago, she held that record for 37 years," Suitor said.

For more than ten years Suitor has made sure to be present at the school to hand the award to the winner.

"I've got no words to explain how it makes me feel. I look forward to it every year, it gives me something to live for and it keeps Tracy's spirit alive," he said.

In the decades since Tracy's death Suitor said the school has helped him to adjust to life without her, and he is grateful for their ongoing support.

The Melinda Percival Award, for outstanding sportsmanship, contributions to sport and competitiveness at school level was presented to Milly Lucas.

Finally, the Scott Jolliffe Memorial Award, Australian rules player of the year, was presented to Finley Hubbard. The award is presented to a student who has displayed camaraderie, mateship, and loyalty towards their team in representing Wagga High School.

A total of 94 students received honours for representing the Riverina in their chosen sports. The school also acknowledged the efforts of six teams who ranked in the top 10 of the state.

Rounding out the honours was the presentation of the Blues Awards, that recognise students who have worn the NSW blue while at Wagga High School. Three students were presented with the awards, Bailey Edwards for swimming, Austin Gooden for softball, and Ashton Wolter for Aussie rules.

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