Hillcrest High School Sports Awards 2025: Celebrating a Year of Pride and Outstanding Achievement 🏅

The Hillcrest High School community gathered to celebrate a year of incredible sporting achievements on Tuesday 21st of October.

The event was an acknowledgment of the dedication, talent, and passion displayed by the school’s athletes, and a massive thank you to the dedicated staff, coaches, managers, and administrators whose tireless work makes school sports possible.

Unsung Heroes: Administrator, Manager, and Coach Awards

The evening kicked off by recognizing the invaluable contributions behind the scenes. Without these dedicated individuals, the success of the students would not be possible.

Administrator of the Year: Mr Luke Ashby

This award recognizes an outstanding contribution to HHS sport, specifically those who create opportunities, put in countless hours of organization, and ensure the growth of their code.

The winner of the 2025 Administrator of the Year is Luke Ashby! Luke has been a phenomenal contributor to sport at Hillcrest for several years, not only helping to coach the First XI boys’ football team but also excelling as the Director of Futsal. His efforts have led to an increase in playing numbers and the successful organization of premier teams traveling to the NZ Secondary School tournament annually.

Manager of the Year: Robyn Richardson

Presented to a team manager whose organization, commitment, and management contribute to outstanding team results, this award also acknowledged the crucial efforts of parents in fundraising to reduce tournament fees for families.

In a tough category with so many quality nominees, the winner for her mahi with the girls’ hockey team is Robyn Richardson! Robyn was praised as an amazing manager who is organized, practical, and unflappable, deeply caring about the team. Over the past three seasons, she has made an outstanding contribution to the team’s culture.

Coach of the Year: Jack Sheppard

Recognizing an individual whose leadership, enthusiasm, and skill achieve outstanding results in player attitude, team cohesion, and playing performance, this award highlighted the high-quality coaches at HHS.

The 2025 Coach of the Year is Jack Sheppard! Jack’s contribution to Volleyball has been immense. His dedicated approach and high standards have ensured sustained development, leading to several players achieving representative selection. Most notably, his Senior Premier Boys team has placed 3rd in New Zealand three years in a row, a remarkable achievement against much larger schools.

Code Awards: Recognizing Individual Excellence

Following the celebration of the non-playing support staff, the focus shifted to the student athletes themselves, acknowledging school champions, players of the year, and those showing great promise or improvement.

Guest Speaker: Liam Cavanagh

The evening was highlighted by a special appearance from HHS alumnus and New Zealand Cyclist, Liam Cavanagh. A shining example of grit, Liam returned to share his journey, discussing the obstacles he’s overcome, including a broken elbow injury early in his career. His achievements include taking line honours in the Te Awamutu Sports Cycling Club winter series race, seizing the U17 Glass Cup, becoming the national U19 Men’s sprint champion, and winning a bronze in the junior worlds team sprint and a silver in the Elite Men’s Team Sprint at the Oceania Track Championships.

Major Student Awards: Outstanding Performers

The final and most anticipated segment of the night saw the presentation of the major student awards, recognizing outstanding performers and those who have given back through service.

Service to Sport – Margaret Forsyth Shield: Gemma Herbert

Named after the late Silver Fern and HHS alumnus Margaret Forsyth, this award is presented to the person who has made an outstanding contribution to Hillcrest High Sport across coaching, administration, and involvement in sport and events.

The winner of the Margaret Forsyth Shield is Gemma Herbert! Gemma has contributed a massive amount to sport at HHS and the wider region. She coaches both football and futsal in the junior programme, is a very active and well-regarded football and futsal referee within the WAIBOP region, and demonstrated excellent leadership as a player and as a reliable member of the sports council.

The Peter O’Leary Trophy – Student Referee/Umpire of the Year: Te Ao Timoti

Named after the former HHS teacher and international football referee Peter O’Leary, this award considers refereeing/umpiring achievements, commitment, and contribution to sport.

The winner is Te Ao Timoti! Te Ao has officiated across a range of regional, national, and international basketball tournaments, including the honour of refereeing New Zealand in Australia at the International U16 level. She has also achieved FIBA Level 1 qualifications and is now working as a referee trainer.

Student Coach of the Year: Madison Friis

This award is presented to a student coach who has demonstrated high levels of commitment, enthusiasm, and development.

The 2025 Student Coach of the Year is Madison Friis! Madison has been a prominent coach at Titans futsal under the guidance of a national league coach, and earlier this year coached the U11 team to the title at the youth tournament in Napier.

Most Accomplished Māori Sportsperson: Shanti McKoy

Awarded to the Māori student who has achieved outstanding success in at least two sports.

The winner is Shanti McKoy! Shanti has proven herself to be an outstanding athlete, most notably as captain of both the Waikato U19 and Aotearoa Māori U18s Volleyball Teams. She was also selected into the NZ U20 Beach volleyball squad.

Old Pupils Trophy – Team of The Year: Senior Boys Indoor Volleyball

This cup, awarded since 1980, is presented to the Hillcrest team with the best record, commitment, training, sportsmanship, and level of competition entered.

The winner is the Senior Boys Indoor Volleyball team! Extremely well coached by Jack Sheppard and managed by Antony and Michelle Smith, this hard-working team won the Waikato competition for an amazing 8th consecutive time and fought back to win the playoff for 3rd place in New Zealand at the Secondary Schools tournament.

Girls Allrounder Of The Year: Shanti McKoy

Presented to the girl with the most outstanding achievements across a range of sporting endeavors, having reached a high level in one or more codes and been involved in at least three sports.

The Girls Allrounder of The Year is Shanti McKoy! Her achievements include captaining the Waikato U19 and Aotearoa Māori U18 volleyball teams, selection into the NZ U20 beach volleyball squad, being the Senior Athletics Champion, and a member of the Hillcrest turbo touch team that placed 6th at the NZ Secondary Schools.

Boys Allrounder Of The Year: Liam Smith

Presented to the boy with the most outstanding achievements across a range of sporting endeavors.

The Boys Allrounder of the Year is Liam Smith! Liam is an exceptional all-round athlete, currently the back-to-back NZ Secondary Schools beach volleyball champion and an NZ representative. He captained the indoor team to 3rd in NZ and was selected in the NZ U20 team. He also achieved highly in the Senior Boys Athletics and won the school Badminton title.

Olympic Trophy – Outstanding Sportsperson: Liam Smith

This award, which includes an Olympic Medal from the 1976 Montreal Olympics, is awarded to the most outstanding sportsperson in any recognized sport.

The winner of the Olympic Trophy is Liam Smith! Liam’s dedication and leadership in Indoor Volleyball were key factors, with his selection into the wider NZ senior squad being an amazing achievement for a school student. He is an amazingly committed athlete and an outstanding ambassador for Hillcrest High School in 2025.

The Crest Awards and Legacy

The newly added Crest Award recognized students selected for full NZ age group or open teams: Liam Smith (NZ U20 Volleyball), Bjorn Fitch (NZ U20 Volleyball), Shanti McKoy (NZ U18 Beach Volleyball), and Ruby Waghorn (NZ U16 Inline Hockey).

The evening concluded with the highest distinction, the Crest Legacy Award, recognizing a student athlete’s comprehensive and exceptional career-long contribution to school sport. This award for leadership, versatility, and profound commitment was presented to Liam Smith, solidifying his position as one of Hillcrest High School’s most outstanding athletes.

Congratulations to all of the award recipients and nominees! Looking forward to some final sport highlights of the year before we bring on 2026!