More than 20 athletes and coaches from the University of the Sunshine Coast community have been confirmed for at this year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, with the possibility of more being added.
While the majority of athletes are swimmers in the USC Spartans squad, other sports such as cycling, netball, basketball, athletics and lawn bowls are also represented.
Birmingham will feature the largest integrated Para sports program in the Games’ history, with UniSC High Performance Sport director Professor Brendan Burkett appointed Head Coach of Australia’s Paralympic swim team.
The Birmingham Games run from Thursday, 28 July to Monday, 8 August, and the opening and closing ceremony will take place at newly renovated Alexander Stadium.
Following on from Gold Coast 2018, the event marks the 22nd staging of the Commonwealth Games, with 280 gold medals set to be awarded, and more than 5000 other competitors expected to attend.
For USC’s contingent it will be an opportunity to build on strong results from the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, where 20 UniSC athletes and officials were in attendance.
Results
GOLD: Sophie Edwards, Maeve Plouffe, Chloe Moran in Women’s 4000m Team Pursuit Cycling. Women's 4000m Team Pursuit Cycling results. The quartet initially set a Games record of 4:14.605 when qualifying fastest and lowered the time to 4:12.234.
SILVER: Women’s 100m Freestyle swimming Emily Beecroft. Women's 100m Freestyle swimming results. Brianna Throssell, Alexandria Perkins also raced.
QUALIFIED FOR FINALS: Brianna Throssell (2nd in second Semi Final of 200m Butterfly with 57.99, qualified for final), Alexandria Perkins (2nd in first Semi-Final of 100 Butterfly with 58.22, qualified for final) also raced.
WIN: Cara Koenan and Stephanie Wood in Australian netball team. Australia beat Barbados 95-18. Netball results.
WIN: Hannah Dodd in Australian Women’s Wheelchair Basketball. Australia beats Scotland 12-5. Women's Wheelchair Basketball results.
WIN: Kadie-Ann Dehaney playing netball for Jamaica beats Wales 72-43.
WIN: Hannah Dodd in Australian Women’s Wheelchair Basketball, Australia vs South Africa. Australia wins 21-3. Women's Wheelchair Basketball results.
SILVER: Maeve Plouffe in Women’s 3000m Individual Pursuit Cycling. Women's 3000m Individual Pursuit Cycling results.
BRONZE: Jacob Templeton in Men’s 50m Freestyle. Braedan Jason also made the final and placed fourth. Men's 50m Freestyle.
WIN: Cara Koenan and Stephanie Wood in Australian Netball, v Scotland. 83-80. Netball results.
WIN: Kadie-Ann Dehaney in Jamaica Netball, Australia v South Africa 46-29. Netball results.
BRONZE: Kirralee Hayes in Women’s 50m Freestyle. Jenna Jones also made the final and placed fourth. Women's 50m Freestyle results.
BRONZE: Brianna Throssell second in Women’s 100m Butterfly final. Alexandria Perkins also made the final and placed 5th. Women's 100m Butterfly results.
FINALIST: Taylor McKeown makes Women’s 200m Breaststroke final. Women's 200m Breaststroke results. Places seventh.
BRONZE: Blake Cochrane in Men’s 100m Breaststroke SB8. Men's 100m Breaststroke results.
FINALIST: Taylor McKeown in Women’s 200m Breaststroke. Placed seventh. Women's 200m Breaststroke results.
FINALIST: Josh Yong in Men’s 100m Breaststroke
FINALIST: Alex Perkins in 50m Butterfly Heat. Placed fifth.
PROGRESSED: Josh Yong in 50m Breaststroke Heats. Placed fourth.
RACED: Josh Yong in 50m Breaststroke Semi-final. Placed sixth and did not progress.
WIN: Hannah Dodd in Women’s Wheelchair Basketball 3 x 3. Australia beat England 8-6 and through to gold medal match against Canada 5am AEST Wednesday 3rd August
FINALIST: Chloe Moran in Cycling Women's 10km Scratch Race. Placed sixth.
FINALIST: Sophie Edwards in Cycling Women's 10km Scratch Race. Placed 17th.
WIN: Stephanie Wood and Cara Koenen in Netball, Australia beats South Africa 74-49.
PLAYED: Katelyn Inch playing for New Zealand in Lawn Bowls. Lost to Malaysia 20-21 on Day 3 (Didn’t play Day 4)
WIN: Hannah Dodd in Australian Women’s Wheelchair Basketball, semifinals Australia v England. Australia wins 8-6. Women's Wheelchair Basketball results.
Katelyn Inch (NZ) in Women’s Pairs Lawn Bowls.
BRONZE: Keira Stephensin Women’s 200m Individual Medley SM10 finals.
SILVER: Hannah Dodd in Australian Women’s 3 x 3 Wheelchair Basketball, placings and medal matches. Aus v Canada.
BRONZE: Brianna Throssell in 200m Butterfly final.
BRONZE: Keira Stephens in Women’s 200m Individual Medley SM10 final.
WIN: Katelyn Inch (NZ) in Women’s Pairs Lawn Bowls, sectional play. NZ beats Niue 19-16.
FINALIST: Ruby Storm in Women’s 200m Freestyle S14, heats.
FINALISTS: Liam Schluter and Ben Hance in Men’s 200m Freestyle S14.
WIN: Cara Koenan and Stephanie Wood in Australian Netball, v Wales. Australia beats Wales 79-33.
WIN: Kadie-Ann Dehaney in Netball, Jamaica v Scotland. Jamaica beats Scotland 78-34.
SILVER: Ben Hance in Men’s 200m Freestyle S14, finals. Liam Schluter eighth.
FINALIST: Ruby Storm in Women’s 200m Freestyle S14, finals. Placed seventh.
TBC: Katelyn Inch (NZ) in Women’s Pairs Lawn Bowls, sectional play.
SEMI-FINALIST: Russell Taib (Malaysia) in Men’s 200m, Round 1, heat 2, qualified for semi-final.
LOSS: Cara Koenan and Stephanie Wood in Australian Netball, v Kadie-Ann Dehaney and Jamaica. Jamaica beats Australia 57-55.
WIN: Katelyn Inch (NZ) in Women’s Pairs Lawn Bowls.. NZ beats Wales 16-15 in the quarter finals, loses to England 12-19 in the semi-finals.
Cara Koenan, Stephanie Wood and Kadie-Ann Dehaney (Jamaica) Netball. No placings.
RACED: Russell Taib (Malaysia) in Men’s 200m. Placed sixth in semi-final and did not progress.
Katelyn Inch (NZ) in Women’s Pairs Lawn Bowls, medal matches, from 5.30pm
Cara Koenan, Stephanie Wood and Kadie-Ann Dehaney (Jamaica), Netball semis, 6pm-3.30am. Results here.
GOLD and SILVER: Cara Koenan and Stephanie Wood win netball final for Australia 55-51 against Jamaica. Kadie-Ann Dehaney earns silver playing for Jamaica.
USC Spartans swim team
Brianna Throssell
Born in 1996 in Western Australia, Brianna qualified for the 100m and 200m breastroke with strong performances at the Australian Swimming Championships in May. Her cupboard already includes three relay medals (including a gold) from the Tokyo Olympics.
Alexandria Perkins
Caloundra resident Alexandria will contest the 100m butterfly after a remarkable meet in May where she achieved five personal bests from five events. Her 100m butterfly time dropped from 1:00.18 in 2020 to 58.39 at the 2022 Australian Swimming Championships.
Josh Yong
Australian swim team debutant and Sippy Downs resident Josh is set to line up for the 100m breaststroke in Birmingham. He was born in Brunei in 2001 and lived in Victoria and Western Australia before pursuing his swimming dream to Queensland.
Blake Cochrane OAM (USC Alumni
Destined to become the first Australian Para swimmer to attend four Commonwealth Games, Cochrane will contest the 100m breaststroke SB7 at Birmingham. Initially taking up swimming to combat his asthma, he graduated from exercise physiology at USC in 2017.
Braedan Jason (USC Alumni)
Born in 1998 in New South Wales with vision impairment, Braeden was a surf lifesaver for much of his youth. His condition has resulted in him having only 10 per cent of his vision. Outside swimming, the 50m freestyle S12 contestant works as a radio presenter and producer.
Jacob Templeton
Born 1995 in Tasmania, Jacob played basketball and Australian rules football before turning his attention to swimming. He will contest the 50m freestyle S13 at Birmingham, marking his Commonwealth Games debut, despite being selected for five events at the Rio 2016 Paralympics.
Jenna Jones (USC student)
Owner of 11 age records as a junior, Jenna will contest her first Commonwealth Games in the 50m freestyle S13. One of six children, Jenna was born in 2001 in Maitland, New South Wales and competed in the Rio 2016 Paralympics in five events.
Keira Stephens
Born in Poole, England in 2003, Keira grew up swimming for Fraser Coast Swim Club and Hervey Bay Swimming Club. She will make her Commonwealth Games debut in Birmingham, but has already competed at the Para Pan Pacs, World Para Swimming Championships, and Tokyo Paralympics, where she won bronze in the relays.
Kirralee Hayes
Vision-impaired since her birth in Brisbane in 2004, Kirralee took up swimming in her early teens. She will contest the 50m freestyle S13 event at Birmingham. Previously, Kirralee featured in two events at the Tokyo Paralympics.
Liam Schluter
A silver medalist in the 200m freestyle S14 at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, Liam began swimming at Kawana Aquatic Centre on the Sunshine Coast at age two. Liam came from a multi-sport background, competing in rugby league, golf and tennis before swimming.
Emily Beecroft (USC student)
One of triplets, Emily was born in Victoria in 1999, before later moving to Queensland. After finishing fourth in the 100m freestyle S9 at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in 2018, she is hoping to go at least one place better in Birmingham. Won two medals at the Tokyo Paralympics.
Ben Hance OAM
Winner of a gold, silver and bronze at the Tokyo Paralympics, Ben was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2022. Holds the world record for the 100m backstroke S14, but is world-class in butterfly and freestyle as well.
Ruby Storm
Of Indigenous heritage, Ruby was born in 2003 in Victoria, but has since relocated to Queensland. She won a silver and bronze at the Tokyo Paralympics, in the mixed 4 x 100m freestyle S14 relay and the 100m butterfly S14 respectively. Curiously, Ruby was afraid of water as a child.
Mick Palfrey (Coach)
A former Paralympic swim competitor who also collected bronze at the World Championships, Palfrey made his debut as an Australian swim coach at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India. He recently spent nine years as head swimming coach at the West Australian Institute of Sport.
Nathan Doyle (Coach)
A coach from the age of 17, Nathan has been on the Australian national staff since 2015. He is currently a High Performance Swim Coach at USC and possesses a Platinum License from Swim Coaches and Teachers Australia. He is also a member of the Swimming Australia Paralympic Advisory Panel.
Brendan Burkett OAM (Head Coach)
Now Director of High Performance Sport at USC, Professor Burkett has an illustrious career that includes being a previous flag-bearer and captain of the Australian Paralympic team. As an athlete he won five medals at four Paralympics, along with a Commonwealth Games medal.
Sunshine Coast Lightning
Kadie-Ann Dehaney (Jamaica)
Born 1996 in Kingston, Jamaica, Kadie-Ann has made a big impact since arriving to Australia in 2017, featuring for the premiership-winning Melbourne Vixens before switching to the Sunshine Coast. She has represented Jamaica at the 2015 and 2019 Netball World Cups.
Australian Cycling Academy
Maeve Plouff
As a child Maeve would sneak out of bed to watch the Olympics on television. She was originally involved with swimming and surf lifesaving, but was identified as a cyclist of potential. At the Tokyo Olympics she was a member of the Australian women’s pursuit team, finishing fifth.
Chloe Moran
Along with colleagues Maeve Plouff and Sophie Edwards, Chloe is a member of the Australian Cycling Academy (ACA) based out of USC. The academy model integrates high performance training, tertiary study and professional mentoring and allows athletes to compete in national and international events.
Importantly, UniSC is not only providing a swathe of Australian representatives, but is also home to national athletes proudly wearing the colours of Jamaica, Malaysia and New Zealand. Recently, USC further entrenched its growing reputation in the sporting world by playing host to the Disability Sports Australia National Conference and the Sunshine Coast Sports Symposium.
High Performance Student athletes
Russel Taib
Born in Kuala Lumpur in 1998, Russel and his family moved to Australia when he was aged three. He will contest the 200m in Birmingham. He is an eight-time Australian junior champion and holds the Malaysian national record for the 200m in 20.77sec.
Katelyn Inch
Born in Rangiora, New Zealand in 1995, Katelyn has amassed four Queensland titles, two New Zealand titles and one Australian title. Competing in the Women’s Triples and Fours at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Inch placed 6th and 7th respectively.
Hannah Dodd
Born in 1992, this Sippy Downs resident is accomplished on several sporting fronts, having narrowly missed a medal at the London Olympics in Para-equestrian competition. A national wheelchair basketball representative since 2015, she competed in the Gliders team which finished ninth at the Tokyo Paralympics.