This year has seen huge growth in sport here at St Ignatius. We’ve been able to get out and about even more, with a record number of ākonga proudly representing our school.

We’ve taken part in more than 30 one-day tournaments across College Sport, Franklin events, and the wider Auckland and Regional Championships.

We’ve also expanded into having representatives in well over 20 different sporting codes

Thank you to all our teachers who support these programmes, especially Mr Benge with basketball and Ms Bell with volleyball. Our teachers already give so much of their time, so your willingness to give even more is deeply appreciated. Sport connects us with our students in such a positive, energising way. Thank you to all those parents and family members who have helped coach, manage, fundraise, and support our students to find personal Magis through sport.

Congratulations to the following award recipients;

School Sporting Event Winners

School Champions:  These are Awarded to a boy and a girl at each year level who have accumulated the highest total points across school events

Team Magis Award :  

This award recognises a student who demonstrated outstanding skill and strategic awareness, consistently contributing to their team’s success. They positively shaped team dynamics through leadership, fostered cohesion, and set the standard with their conduct both on and off the field.

Team Loyola Award: This student demonstrates outstanding sportsmanship, teamwork, and always supporting their teammates. They are dedicated, dependable, and consistently act with integrity and fairness.

AIMS Games Sportsmanship Medal is awarded for overall excellence and is decided by the team management. This honour recognises an athlete who consistently shows the very best attitude, fair play, and respect — for their teammates and opposition, for coaches and officials, and for the game itself.

The Sporting Achievement Award recognizes an individual athlete who has achieved a high level award at a regional, national or international level outside of school. The following ākonga were nominated;

Pippa Wilson – International Equestrian Representative & National Dressage Reserve Champion Pippa Wilson, selected for the NZ Pony Club International Virtual Dressage Team for the second year, placing 5th and 6th internationally. She earned major national titles, including NZ Dressage Reserve Champion (Level One), NZ Youth Dressage Reserve Champion, Horse of the Year Pinto Rider (U17), and NZ Pinto Society High Points Winner. Pippa also holds multiple regional titles, was selected for the NZ Youth Dressage Development Camp

Ava Latu – International Softball Representative. Our nominee for international softball representation is Ava Latu. Ava was selected as one of only 13 players nationwide to represent Aotearoa New Zealand at the NSW State Championship in Sydney. 

John Glynos – International, National & Regional Archery ChampionJohn Glynos, achieved 1st place at the Asia–Pacific International Championships and secured several National titles, including Indoor, Marked, and Unmarked Nationals, along with overall NZ League Series wins. He set multiple NZ National Records and an Asia–Pacific record, and also placed 4th at the AIMS Games.

Renzo Johnston – National Athletics ChampionRenzo earned multiple Regional Gold medals in sprints and long jump across Counties and Auckland Championships. He went on to achieve Bronze in the North Island Pentathlon and Gold in the North Island Provincial Championships. At the Colgate Nationals he added to this success with Gold in the 200 metres and Silver in the 100 metres. Renzo’s results show his strength across a wide range of events.

Ella Neels – National & International Cheerleading ChampionElla has secured multiple Regional titles, Overall Grand Champion awards, and five National Champion titles across Levels 4 and 5 teams and duo divisions. On the international stage, she and her team placed 4th out of 51 teams at the 2025 Cheerleading Summit in Florida. Ella’s achievements highlight her skill, discipline, and commitment to excellence in cheerleading.

Congratulations to Ella Neels on winning this award.

Sportsperson of the Year: This award recognizes an individual athlete who has shown exceptional performance, dedication, and sportsmanship in representing our school. The nominees are;

Tamzyn Minchin – Equestrian 

Tamsyn had an outstanding North Island Secondary School Equestrian Championships, excelling across multiple events. She placed 2nd in her first dressage test, 1st in her second, finishing as the second-highest dressage points scorer overall. She also achieved 2nd in Arena Eventing (65 Pony) and 6th in Games.

Annabelle Shields – Swimming

Annabelle has had an outstanding year in the pool, achieving success at both club and school levels. She proudly represented St Ignatius of Loyola Catholic College across multiple competitions, delivering consistently high performances. At the Auckland College Sport Champion of Champions finals, she placed 2nd in the 50m breaststroke, along with strong results in the 200m breaststroke (3rd) and 100m breaststroke (4th) at the Individual Championships.

Emerziana Lautua – Athletics

Emereziana has had an exceptional athletics season, representing both St Ignatius and Counties Manukau Secondary Schools at top-level competitions. She achieved a remarkable 2nd place in Intermediate Girls Discus at the Auckland Secondary Schools Athletics Championships, earning a well-deserved podium finish. At the North Island Athletics Championships, she continued her strong form, placing 4th in both shot put and discus against the best athletes in the region.

Mario Nasa – Gymnastics

Mario delivered an outstanding performance representing St Ignatius at the AIMS Games, showcasing skill, focus, and impressive athletic ability. He capped off a strong competition by securing gold in the Artistic Boys Open Level 4 event, a remarkable achievement at one of the largest school sporting events in the country.

Ebenezer Ofori-Anyinam – All-Round Sporting Excellence

Ebenezer consistently demonstrates Magis in all of his sporting endeavours while proudly representing St Ignatius. Today alone, he has been awarded School Champion, Magis, and Fair Play medals, highlighting not only his exceptional skill but also his integrity, sportsmanship, and dedication. 

The award is presented to Mario Nasa 

The student volunteer award honours students who have made a significant contribution to sports through service, leadership, and initiative. 

The two recipients have regularly volunteered their time, taken on additional responsibilities to support our school sport.  They planned and delivered effective training sessions to prepare their teams for tournaments and throughout each event, they demonstrated strong leadership, reliability, and a commitment to helping others succeed.

The award is presented to Indiana Falanitule and Sophie Wynne

The Student Coach of the Year recognises students who made a meaningful contribution to sport within school

These student coaches have led the badminton teams for two consecutive years. They are committed leaders who consistently give up their time to lead structured training.  They embody our school values through their actions and are highly valued as leaders in sport.

The award is presented to Annie Yu and Frances Moore

The Team of the Year celebrates the team that has achieved an outstanding result and displayed exemplary teamwork and sportsmanship during the year to achieve this.

This outstanding team won the Intermediate grade at the Counties Manukau Secondary School Netball Competition, followed by victory at the Franklin Netball Intermediate Competition. They then achieved a commendable finish in the Auckland Intermediate Champs and at the AIMS Games, they ranked Top 20 out of over 140 schools—truly remarkable accomplishments!

The award is presented to Netball Magis

Coach of the Year recognizes a coach who has demonstrated exceptional leadership, mentorship, and ability to inspire and develop their athletes.

It has been incredibly difficult to choose Coach of the Year, as we are fortunate to have so many skilled volunteers who are passionate about sport and raising the sporting profile of our school. However, this year’s recipient is a coach who truly embodies our school values, both within the team and across the wider school community. He has consistently stepped up to help and across three different sporting codes and demonstrated unwavering commitment week after week to his teams.

The award is presented to Bernard Bernabe

Manager of the Year recognises someone who puts in outstanding effort behind the scenes. This year, we are proud to acknowledge a manager who went the extra mile when their sporting code’s format changed mid-season and our school team became a composite team. They handled the change with ease and enthusiasm fostering a wonderful relationship with the other school. Her communication was excellent, and she created a fun and positive atmosphere for the team throughout.

The award is presented to Rebecca Bent

Sports House of the Year is awarded to the sports house that accumulates the highest total points across our school sports events with almost a clean sweep…

The award is presented to Faber Marian

The final and highest sports award is Dux Ludorum: This  award is chosen from either the highest Sporting Achievement or Sports Person of the Year.

This year we are proud to present this award to Ella Neels