Griffith is sending a ‘mini army’ of athletes to the 2022 Commonwealth Para-sport Games with more than 50 current students and alumni making up team red in Birmingham.
It represents a near 20 per cent increase on representation from Gold Coast 2018 when Griffith assembled a team of 41 athletes.
“To have 51 athletes from Griffith Sports College, alumni and our swim team be on the plane to England is a tremendous achievement,” General Manager of Griffith Sports College Naomi McCarthy OAM said.
“No other Australian university could boast similar representation at an elite competition level.”
Griffith will have 30 current Sports College students, 15 alumni and six Swim Squad members under the tutelage of Michael Bohl on the ground in the English midlands city when competition begins on July 28.
Leading the charge will be Australia’s most decorated Olympian in Emma McKeon.
The champion swimmer, who graduated last year with a Bachelor in Public Health, is eying off four individual gold medals and is set to eclipse Susie O’Neill as the nation’s best-ever performed athlete at a Commonwealth Games.
Olympic gold medallist Zac Stubblety-Cook, in fine form after being crowned World Champion in Hungary, will be a hot favourite in the men’s 200m Breastroke while Bachelor of Nursing student Chelsea Hodges, GBS student Meg Harris and Bachelor of Exercise Science student Kiah Melverton should also figure prominently.
Back in the national team is Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice student Shayna Jack who won gold in the 4 by 100m Freestyle Relay at the recent world titles in Budapest
On the athletics track, discus thrower and Bachelor of Business student Matt Denny, racewalker Katie Hayward ( B Occupational Therapy) and sprinter Riley Day (Business) should be prominent in their events.
History could also be created when Madison de Rozario (B Business) looks to defend her Marathon T54 and 1500m T54 crowns.
Griffith athletes are eying off a record number of medals and surpassing the effort of the team on home soil in 2018.
“We picked up 40 medals at GC2018, with 23 gold, 7 silver and 10 bronze which was a tremendous achievement.
All signs are showing Griffith’s tally should eclipse that mark as we are fielding a larger team in Birmingham,” Ms McCarthy said.
The full team of Griffith Sports College athletes, alumni and swimming squad is:
Current Griffith Students:
Madison de Rozario (B Business) – Athletics / Marathon
Matt Denny (B Business) – Athletics / Discus
Taneille Crase (B Education) – Athletics / Heptathlon
Katie Hayward (B Occupational Therapy) – Athletics / 10K Racewalk
Ella Connolly (B Education) – Athletics / 100m, 200m, 4x100m Relay
Riley Day (B Business) – Athletics / 200m
Lani Pallister (B Biomedical Science) – Swimming / 800m Freestyle, 1500m Freestyle, 400m Freestyle
Shayna Jack (B Criminology & Criminal Justice) – Swimming .100m Freestyle, 50m Freestyle
Kiah Melverton (B Exercise Science) – Swimming / 800m Freestyle, 400m Freestyle, 400m Individual Medley
Grayson Bell (B Software Engineering) – Swimming / 50m Freestyle
Meg Harris (B Business) – Swimming / 100m Freestyle, 50m Freestyle
Abbey Harkin (B Business) – Swimming / 100m Breaststroke, 200m Breastroke, 200m Individual Medley
Chelsea Hodges (B Nursing) – Swimming / 100m Breaststroke
Josh Edwards-Smith (B Business) – Swimming / 200m Backstroke, 100m Backstroke
Jenna Forrester (B Psychological Science/B Business) – Swimming / 400m Individual Medley
Zac Stubblety-Cook (B Psychological Science / B Business) – Swimming / 200m Breaststroke, 100m Breaststroke
Tom Nowakowski (B Psychological Science / B Business) – Swimming / 50m Freestyle
Georgia-Leigh Vele (B Exercise Science) – Swimming / 50m Breaststroke, 50m Freestyle, 50m Butterfly, 100m Freestyle (representing Papua New Guinea)
Michaela Pulford (B Biomedical Science) – Swimming
Kijan Sultana (B Business) – Squash / Men’s Doubles
Alex Haydon – (B Psychology) – Squash / Women’s Singles
Brandon Copeland (B Commerce) – Triathlon
Cara Koenen (B Forensic Sc/B Criminology & Criminal Justice) – Netball / Women’s Diamonds Team
Kristina Clonan (B Business) – Cycling / Sprint
James Moriarty (B Business/Commerce) – Cycling / Track Endurance
Grace Brown (M Marketing) – Cycling / Road Race
Lily Dick (B Business) – Rugby 7s
Cassiel Rousseau (B Psychological Science) – Diving / 10m Individual & 10m Synchronised
Domonic Bedgood (B Commerce) – Diving / 1m Individual, 10m Synchronised
Alumni:
Brandon Wakeling (B Business) – Weightlifting / 59kg Class
Liz Clay (B Business) – Athletics / Women’s 100m Hurdles
Jess Jonassen (B Laws) – Cricket / T20
Beth Mooney (B Secondary Education) – Cricket / T20
Emma McKeon (P Public Health) – Swimming / 50m, 100m Freestyle, 100m Butterfly
Rosie Malone (B Sport Development) – Hockey
Tim Howard (B Business) – Hockey
Matt Hauser (B Business) – Triathlon
Gretel Bueta (B Nutrition) – Netball
Lynsey Clarke (B Business) – Bowls / Open Triples, Fours
Jake Fehlberg (B Business) – Para Lawn Bowls – B2,B3 Mixed pairs
Jesse Wagstaff (Grad Cert in Financial Planning) – Wheelchair Basketball
Ella Sabljak (B Education) – Wheelchair Basketball
Felicity Cradick (B Science/Data Science) – Para Triathlon
Jess Turnbull (B Criminology & Criminal Justice) – Squash / Doubles & Singles
Griffith Swim Squad:
Cody Simpson – 100m Butterfly
Mack Horton – 200m & 400m Freestyle
Kaylee McKeown – 200m & 400m Individual Medley, 100m & 200m Backstroke
Bowen Gough – 200m Butterfly
Taylor McKeown – 200m Breaststroke
Brendon Smith – 200m & 400m Individual Medley
Michael Bohl – Dolphins Team Coach
Janelle Pallister – Dolphins Team Coach
