2024 Monthly Winners
January - Blake Agnoletto
Gold in the under-23 criterium at the National Road Cycling Titles in Ballarat capped a brilliant start to the year. Blake’s run at the nationals included sixth in the time trial and 12th in the 140km road race.
February
(No award)
2023 Monthly Winners
January - Jazy Roberts
The young gun from Belvoir Park was selected in Australia’s team of six to contest the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific tournament. The 72-hole stroke event will be played from March 9 to 12 in Singapore. It will be Jazy’s first international hit-out. In January, Jazy won the Tasmanian Junior Amateur and Tasmania Junior Masters tournaments and was runner-up at the TPS Victoria Junior amateur tournament.
February - Todd Murphy
The off-spinner capped his Test debut with a seven-wicket haul in the first Test against India in Nagpur. Todd completed the first of four matches for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a haul of 7-124. Despite Todd’s outstanding bowling, Australia was beaten by an innings and 132 runs. So far in the series, Todd has captured the wicket of the great Virat Kohli on three occasions.
March - Alessia McCaig
Alessia capped an outstanding run at Cycling Australia’s national track titles in Brisbane by winning the elite women’s 500m time trial and keirin finals. She also claimed silver in the sprint. A week later, Alessia won gold in the elite team sprint at the Oceania titles in Brisbane.
April - Emma Berg / Maddy Theobald
Maddy became a world champion for the second time after Australia won the elite division at the ICU World Cheerleading Championships in Orlando, Florida. Maddy and her team-mates won a closely-fought contest with New Zealand. After a world championship first, Australia moves up to premier division and against the powerful United States, Canada and Norway for the 2024 world titles.
Emma won her third Athletics Australia national open shot put championship when she achieved a best of 15.15m in Brisbane. The mark surpassed her previous gold medal-winning puts of 14.24m in 2019 and 13.87m in 2022. A long-term goal for Emma is the 2026 Commonwealth Games in regional Victoria.
May
(no award)
June - Connor Sens
Connor reigned supreme in the men’s elite division of the Australian Gravel National Cycling Championhips in Tasmania. The 23-year-old won at Devil’s Cardigan. Earlier in the year, Connor finished 7th in the individual time trial at the national road titles in Buninyong. A major focus will be the UCI Gravel World Championships in Italy this October.
July - Joseph Evans
Joseph won the under-18 scotch doubles title at Ultimate Pool WEPF world Championships in Morocco. This was Joseph’s second time representing Australia as he had previously been apart of the Junior team in France 2021. Earlier this year, Joseph was also a runner-up in singles under-18 nationals. He is now aiming for a selection in the national under-23 team.
August - Bendigo Female Braves / Col Pearse
The Bendigo Braves became the NBL1 national women’s champions in a season where they won all 28 games of their games. Bendigo won its three games by a combined 110 points and in the championship final, Bendigo beat Norths Bears, 114-87. The Braves won the NBL1 south women’s grand final against Waverley Falcons, 83-78.
The swimming champion, Col from Bamawm Extension, won silver at the Para Swimming World Championships in Manchester. Col also swam in the 200m medley for SM10 class and clocked a personal best of 2:13.68 in the final.
September - Aaron Wilson / Jontee Brown
Aaron recently received silver in men’s pairs at World Bowls Championships on the Gold Coast. Later in the titles, Aaron earned bronze in the singles. The Australian squad struck gold as best performed country.
Jontee recently visited Italy with the Australian Rollers as he is in the Australian Paralympic squad, at this competition, the team got third overall, but he was named in the All-Stars team of five world’s best. Jontee also recently won the national championship for Darwin Salties and was season top scorer. Jontee also played for Hawthorn in Wheelchair AFL and the Hawks won the grand final. Jontee is currently living in Canberra and training at Australian Institute of Sport toward goal of competing at 2024 Paris Paralympics.
October - Jill Wilkie
Jill was the 55-59 years women’s champion in the Chicago Marathon, the Chicago Marathon is one of the six World Marathon Majors and the event also doubled as the world age championships. A gun runner for Bendigo Bats and Bendigo Harriers, Jill ran the 42.2km in Chicago in 2:57.16 and was almost three minutes clear of her nearest rival.
November - Cass Millerick
The young gun from Moama was among 20 bowlers named in the Jackaroos open squad for 2024. Cass has spent the past two years in the “Emerging” Jackaroos program. A great run for Cass included the Australian Open women’s singles title in June, Bowls Victoria Champion of Champions singles title in April, and third in the Australian Champion of Champions tournament.
December - Blake Agnoletto
This incredible cyclist teamed with multiple champion Kelland O’Brien to win the Australian Madison championship at Darebein for the first time. Blake capped his year by racing off scratch and winning the Lindsay Harrington Memorial Wheelrace (2000m) at the Bendigo leg of the Christmas carnivals for a second time.
2022 Monthly Winners
January
(no award)
February
(no award)
March - Emma Berg
Emma struck gold in the shot put event at the national track and field titles in Sydney for a second time. Emma’s best of 13.58m was enough to clinch the women’s open crown.
The South Bendigo Athletics Club member who hails from near Swan Hill, was the national champion in 2019.
April - Todd Murphy / Kerryn Harrington
Todd was selected to in the Australia A squad to tour Sri Lanka in June. A premiership player with Sandhurst, Todd has played in two Sheffield Shield matches and seven one-dayers for Victoria. Todd took match figures of 7-146 in Victoria’s shield win against Tasmania late in the season. It will be Australia’s first tour of Sri Lanka in six years.
Kerryn was named in the AFLW All-Australian team for a third time. The 30-year old defender was selected on the interchange bench. After switching from basketball to footy, Kerryn was a Blues’ rookie in 2018 and has kicked on to earn All-Australian honours in 2020 and 2019 at half-back.
May - Jenna Strauch / Markus Brown
Double gold at the Australian Swimming Championships in Adelaide has earned Jenna a place in Australia’s team for this year’s world titles in Budapest, and the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Jenna won the 100m breast-stroke and 200m breast-stroke at the nationals. The Tokyo Olympics representative could also earn a place in the 50m breast-stroke and 4 x 100m medley relay for the major meets.
Markus won Ultraman Australia’s event at Noosa, The 40-year-old fireman was third after the first day’s competition of a 10km swim and 140km cycle. He was second in the 280.1km cycle race on day. Finale to the event was an 84.3km double marathon which Markcus won.
June - Dyson Daniels
The classy guard/forward was taken at pick eight by New Orleans Pelicans in the NBA draft. The 19-year-old caught the attention of many NBA clubs in a superb season for Ignite in G League. A graduate of the Bendigo Braves program, Dyson is likely to earn more than $US4 million in his first season with the Pelicans.
July - Joel Selwood
A triple premiership winner with Geelong, the Cats’ inspirational onballer and leader played his 350th AFL game. The Cats marked Joel’s milestone with a win against Western Bulldogs. A 160th win as captain surpassed the record held by triple Brownlow medallist and Essendon legend Dick Reynolds.
August - Aaron Wilson / Col Pearse
Aaron capped another brilliant Commonwealth Games campaign by winning the men’s singles final in the lawn bowls action in Birmingham. Aaron beat North Ireland’s Gary Kelly, 21-3, in the duel for gold. Aaron became the first Australian and only the second bowler in Games history to win back-to-back men’s singles titles.
Col Pearse, the swimming star from Bamawm, won gold in the 100m butterfly of the S10 class at the Commonwealth Games para swimming in Birmingham. Col won the final in 56.91 seconds to cap his first CG appearance.
September - Harrison Boyd
The young gun from Bendigo Harriers won gold as he ran the under-18s 6km at Athletics Australia’s national cross-country championships in Oakbank in 20.10 minutes.
October - Caleb Logan
Caleb Logan earned the Robert Rose VWFL best and fairest award. A star for Essendon, Logan scored a record 115 goals as the Bombers finished runner-up to Richmond. Logan was also selected in Victoria’s A squad to compete at the National Wheelchair Football Championships in November.
November - Andrew Martin
Andrew Martin the biggest win of his professional golf career as he claimed the Victorian PGA Championship at Moonah Lakes after a four-way play-off. Martin birdied the par-five 18th five times in a row to clinch a dramatic victory.
December - Jason Sleep / Tayla French
Jason struck gold in the disabled division for slalom, tricks and overall, and set a new pending world trick record.
From Heathcote, Tayla capped another outstanding year by racking up 74 wins. Among the many highs was victory in the Haras de Trotteurs Australasian Young Drivers Championship.
2021 Monthly Winners
January
(no award)
February
(no award)
March - Andrew Martin
Andrew claimed his first PGA Tour of Australasia victory at TPS Sydney and was runner-up at the Heidelberg Pro-Am.
Andrew fought from eight shots behind the leader at the start of the final round to win The Players Series Sydney at Bonnie Doon Golf Club.
April
(no award)
May - Dyson Daniels / Ruby Conti
Dyson played a key role in Victoria’s run to winning a silver medal at the Australian under-20 basketball championships in Mackay. Dyson scored 83 points, racked up 43 rebounds and six steals across five matches.
Dyson was named Basketball Victoria’s 2020 Junior Male Athlete of the Year.
Ruby put in a superb performance to win gold in the 15-17 year old International Age Group 2 category at the Aerobics Gymnastics national titles on the Gold Coast. Ruby earned state selection by winning her class at the Victorian championships.
As well as a national title, Ruby was named by Gymnastics Australia as the Aerobic Gymnastic Age Group International Athlete of the Year.
June - Aaron Wilson / Margaret Rosewall
Aaron is a previous winner of Bendigo Sports Star of the Year crown, and has won his second Australian Open men’s singles title.
The Australian champion in 2013 and a Commonwealth Games medallist in 2018, Aaron scored a 21-14 victory in the final against the legendary Wayne Turley at Broadbeach.
Margaret is a member of the South Bendigo Bowls Club and has won gold at the National Blind Championships in NSW. Bowling at her first national championships, Margaret teamed with Port Macquarie’s Max Glasse in the B1/B2 drawn pairs. Margaret has a vision impairment classification of B2, and always has husband, Brian and guide dog, Letty by her side when she competes. Margaret has earned selection in Australia’s squad to contest the world bowls championship for vision impaired in Queensland in 2022.
July - Jenna Strauch
Jenna capped her first Olympics campaign by reaching the semi-finals of the 200m breaststroke in Tokyo. Jenna clocked 2:23.30, just 0.12 of a second off her personal best time as she swam to take third place in her heat. She missed a finals berth by 0.52 of a second and was ninth fastest overall. Later this month, Jenna will compete for Team Iron in the International Swimming League. Sights are on qualifying for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
August - Matthew Dellavedova / Col Pearse
Matthew added an Olympic medal to an NBA Championship ring as the Australian Boomers won bronze at the Tokyo Olympics. Matthew marked his third Games as the Boomers were unbeaten in the pool-rounds and then went on to score a 107-93 win against Slovenia in the bronze medal play-off. It was Australia’s first Olympic medal in men’s basketball. Matt has signed to play with reigning champion Melbourne United in the upcoming NBL season.
Col marked his first Paralympics by winning bronze in the men’s 100m butterfly for the S10 class in Tokyo. Col’s build-up for the Games included swimming in the dam on the family farm.
September - Ollie Wines
Ollie polled 36 votes to win the Brownlow Medal as best and fairest in the AFL. Ollie is a current Port Adelaide player and former Bendigo Pioneers captain.
From Echuca, Ollie is the first Port Adelaide player to win the medal, and second from the Pioneers to do so. Ollie’s tally of 36 votes equaled the record set by Richmond FC star and Pioneers great, Dustin Martin, in 2017.
Ollie also earned the John Cahill Medal as Port Adelaide’s club champion for the first time.
October - Madeline Theobald
Madeline has competed in cheerleading for more than 15 years and this year became a world champion. Madeline and her cheerleading team, Lady Reign won this year’s competition which was held virtually due to COVID.
Lady Reign had been placed seventh and fifth at previous world titles campaigns.
Based in Bendigo where she works at Snap Fitness, Madeline travels to Melbourne for her cheerleading training.
November
(no award)
December
(no award)
2020 Monthly Winners
January - Jason Sleep / Lucas Herbert
Jason was in hot form at the 2020 EasyTow Malibu Australian Masters on the Loddon River at Bridgewater. Jason set a new world record score of 11.90 in the disabled men’s tricks category and later achieved a higher tally of 13.10
The second record was in the disabled men’s slalom category as Jason cleared two buoys at 46km/h on an 18 metre rope, he also cleared six at 40km/h and six at 43km/h during earlier runs. A goal is to compete at the 2021 World Championships at Bridgewater.
Lucas captured the first professional victory of his career in the Dubai Desert Classic. Lucas won a play-off to join the likes of Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Ernie Els as a Desert Classic Champion. He moved to second in the Race to Dubai standings and his world ranking went from 223 to low 80s. Lucas hit off February by being in the top 30 at the Saudi International and then teed off in the Victorian Open at 13th Beach Golf Links in Barwon Heads.
February - Tayla Vlaeminck
Tayla played a key role with the ball as Australia won the Twenty20 tri-series final against India in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup being played on home turf. Tayla took 2-32 off four overs in the 11-run victory in the final. The win was just two days after Tayla was named the Betty Wilson Young Cricketer of the Year. A foot injury forced Tayla out of the team for the T20 World Cup which was played from February 21.
March - Todd Murphy
Todd was recruited by St Kilda from Sandhurst and represented Australia at this year’s under-19 World Cup in South Africa. Todd played five matches in the Cup campaign and took four wickets at an average of 30. He struck the winning runs off the final ball of the match to beat England. In the past 12 months, Todd has played for Australia in an under-19 series against New Zealand, captained Victoria Country at the national under-19 titles, and captained the Ponting XII against the Gilchrist XII in an under-19 exhibition match on the Gold Coast. Despite missing six matches because of representative duties, Todd took 25 wickets in 11 matches as the Saints progressed to Victoria’s Premier Cricket finals.
December - Alessia McCaig
Alessia won three gold medals in the under-19 division at the Australian track national titles in Brisbane. Alessia, 17, won gold in the 500m time trial in a record time of 35.1, as well as the keirin and sprint. Alessia’s time of 11.354 in the sprint set a new national championships and all-comers record. Alessia’s next major goal is the Oceania titles in March.
2019 Monthly Winners
January - Jason Lea / Chris Hamilton
Jason marked his first start in the Tour Down Under in South Australia by winning the King of the Mountain crown. Lea led the category from day one of the prestigious classic.
Later in the month, he placed 23rd in his Jayco Herald Sun Tour debut.
Chris capped off a brilliant Tour Down Under in South Australia by earning the Young Rider Jersey. Racing for Team Sunweb, Hamilton, 23, completed the six-day classic in sixth place overall, and just 26 seconds behind Tour champion, Daryl Impey of South Africa.
A busy road campaign for Hamilton, who is based in Spain, began in Italy and will include the Tour of Basque Country.
February - Peta Mullens
Peta added another classic to an impressive record on road or mountain bike racing as she won the Melbourne to Warrnambool women’s event.
Peta was the first woman across the line as she completed the 262km duel in 6 hours and 26 minutes.
March - Alessia McCaig
Alessia won gold in sprint, team sprint, keirin and scratch, and bronze for time trial at the Australian junior track cycling titles in Brisbane. Alessia broke Australian records in the flying 200m, and team sprint.
Alessia earned the Champion of Champions jersey for most outstanding in under-17 girls class for a second successive year. She also won gold in sprint and keirin, and silver in time trial at the Victorian junior champs held earlier in March.
April - Jenna Strauch / Emma Berg
Jenna won the 200m breaststroke final at the Australian Swimming Championships in Adelaide. A personal best time of 2:24.88 clinched gold and was almost 2 seconds faster than her personal best.
Jenna is on track to represent Australia at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
Emma achieved a personal best of 14.24 metres as she won gold in the women’s open shot put at the Athletics Australia national track and field championships in Sydney.
Emma competes with the South Bendigo Athletics Club, and will represent Australia at the Oceania Area athletics titles in Townsville in June. She is number one in national rankings for under-20 women’s shot put, and number two at open level.
May - Jaclyn Wilson
Jaclyn captured three national titles at the Australian BMX Championships raced in Shepparton. The 42-year old won gold in the master’s women’s open wheel, women’s 40-44 cruiser and 20-inch events.
Jaclyn has now won 21 national titles. She was the Bendigo Sports Star of the Year in 2011-12, and is a four-time world champion.
June - Jack Haig
Jack capped a brilliant comeback from a knee injury to be runner-up in the final stage of the Criterium du Dauphine in France. Racing for Mitchelton-Scott, Jack was 27th overall.
Jack will make his Tour de France debut when he races for Mitchelton-Scott in the world’s biggest road cycling classic in July.
July - Tayla Vlaeminck
Tayla became the first female from Bendigo to represent Australia when she played in the one-off Test during the Ashes series in England.
Tayla claimed 0-37 off 11 overs in England’s only innings of the Test match in Taunton. The pace bowler took 1-9 off two overs in the third and final match of the T20 series. Although beaten by 17 runs, Australia retained the Ashes, 12-4, based on points earned in the three one-day clashes, Test, and Twenty20 games.
August - Kelly Wilson
Kelly marked a superb basketball season with the Bendigo Braves by earning the NBL1 Most Valuable Player Award. Kelly scored 19.2 points, 10.5 assists, 6.4 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game in the Braves’ run to the play-offs.
Coaches and referees recorded 3-2-1 votes after each regular season game, with the MVP winner being the player with the highest total votes. Kelly was also given the Golden Hands Award and was named on the NBL1 Women’s All-Star Five team.
September - Will Kelly
Will was victorious in the seated trick category at the 2019 International Water Ski and Wakeboard Federation World Waterski Championships for the Disabled. Will also achieved a world record score.
Will and his Australian team-mates were second in the teams category in Norway.
October - Brad Rawiller
Brad teamed with Black Heart Bart to win the Group One Underwood Stakes. Brad returned to race riding in March after being on the sidelines for almost five months recovering from neck fractures sustained in a race fall at Cranbourne in October, 2018.
Brad has ridden Black Heart Bart in all of this six Group One victories.
November - Lee Schraner
Lee capped an unbeaten run to claim the World Singles Champion of Champions in Adelaide. Lee was number one bowler at a championship which drew competitors from 27 countries. A dramatic final was decided by a third-set tie-breaker as Lee triumphed 7-6 6-9 2-1. Lee was the third Australian in the past four years to win the men’s title. Lee is playing coach of Bendigo East and key figure in the club’s quest for back-to-back division one premierships in Bendigo Bowls Division pennant.
December - James Humphry / Patrick Eddy
James won gold, silver and bronze at the Paddle Australia National Canoe Wildwater Championships on the Mitta Mitta River in Victoria. Racing in the under-23 age group, James won the individual classic race, was runner-up in the sprint teams race, and third in the individual sprint race. James is a strong chance to represent Australia at the under-23 world titles in 2021.
Patrick capped a remarkable year by being named Cycling Australia’s road cyclist of the year. The 17-year-old raced for Australia for the first time at the 2019 UCI road titles in England in September. He earned a top-20 finish in the under-19 time trial and was 21st in the 144km road race. Patrick won the time trial and road race for the under-19 class at the 2019 national championships in Ballarat.
2018 Monthly Winners
January - Emily Davis-Tope
Emily captained a touring Australian under-18 Ice Hockey team in Poland. She tallied several assists in the matches for Australia which was soundly beaten by strong opposition.
Emily has recently moved to Canada to the Pursuit of Excellence Ice Hockey Academy based in British Columbia.
February - Sam Crome
Sam continued a terrific start to the year. Following on from a seventh-placed finish at the National Road Titles, he won the final stage of the Herald Sun Tour.
He out sprinted Cameron Meyer and Ruben Guerrero to take the victory, finishing seventh overall on general classification.
March
(no award)
April - Aaron Wilson
Aaron won Gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the men's singles lawn bowls.
He comfortably defeated Ryan Bester in the final, becoming just the third Australian to win the sport's top event at the Commonwealth Games.
May
(no award)
June - Lucas Herbert
Lucas produced a scintillating win at the US Open qualifier in Portland to make his way through to his first major tournament.
Herbert won the event at Oregan Golf Club by four shots.
July - Bendigo Lady Braves
The Lady Braves completed an unbeaten regular season in the South East Australian Basketball League, becoming just the second team in the league's history to do so.
The team topped off a stellar season, defeating Launceston in the SEABL grand final.
August - Andrea Walsh / Andy Buchanan
Andrea won the Northern Football League’s women’s goal-kicking award for the second year in a row. The Bendigo Thunder forward booted 53 goals in the Club’s premiership winning season.
Andy became the first athlete in 20 years to achieve back-to-back 10km cross-country title victories. Buchanan outran his rivals on the hilly Maleny Golf Club course on the Gold Coast.
September - Geoff Shaw / Tom Cole
Geoff was a gold medallist in the Decathlon for the 70-plus division at the World Masters Track & Field Championships in Malega, Spain. The Bendigo Harriers veteran, won six of 10 events run across the two days.
Geoff’s score of 7165 points, surpassed the Victorian record of 6233 points he achieved when he won the 65-69 years title at last summer’s Australian Masters Decathlon championships.
Tom capped a brilliant season with the West Coast Eagles, when they defeated Collingwood in the AFL final by 5 points. Tom overcame the death of his father earlier in the year to play a key role in the Eagles charge to Premiership glory.
The 21 year old was drafted by the Eagles via the Bendigo Pioneers in 2015.
October - Jenna Strauch
Jenna qualified for the FINA Short Course World Championships after she won the 200m breaststroke at the Australian titles.
The 21 year old won in 2:21.09 and will now prepare to represent Australia in Hangzhou, China from December 11. A major goal for Jenna is to compete at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
November - Tayla Vlaeminck / Tim Decker
Tayla was a part of the Australian women’s squad which cruised to it’s fourth T20 World Cup victory in Antigua. The Aussies thrashed England in the final by eight wickets.
Tim, a former Bendigo based cyclist, was crowned the Cycling Australia Coach of the Year. Decker coached the Australian men’s team pursuit squad to a world record win at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.