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Teamwork, diversity, respect and growth. Add determination and you have all the ingredients for Sport at Wesley.

Sport is a vital part of the Wesley experience, with students competing in the Associated Public Schools (APS) sports competition, as well as the Associated Grammar Schools of Victoria and APS girls sport competitions from Year 7.

Lift the lid on sport at Wesley and you’ll find more than competition, tactics and strategy. Sport at Wesley is powered by teamwork, diversity, respect, growth and sheer determination.

Hear reflections from our summer season sport captains, and you will see why.


Tennis

Wesley Tennis left nothing on the court this season, breaking the College and APS Sport competition record books with back-to-back premiership wins for both the Boys and Girls Firsts tennis teams. The Wesley Tennis Program has achieved remarkable success over the past six years, with the girls winning four premierships in the last five years - the last three in a row, and the boys taking home two premierships in two years.

‘It feels incredible winning the premiership three times in a row,’ said Girls Firsts Captain, Madeleine, who started playing in the Firsts team in Year 7. ‘This team is like one big family and sharing this experience with such motivated and determined girls is a dream come true. I think I appreciate winning the title more this year because I’m older and I understand the work it has taken to get here. The last match was really emotional, not just for those of us in Year 12, which shows the extent of the relationships that have been built,’ she said.

‘Last year was the first time that Wesley Tennis has achieved a dual premiership, with both the boys and girls tennis teams winning at the same time,’ said Boys Firsts Captain, Oliver. ‘Our efforts at training and on match days have paid has off and we have been able to accomplish something that no team before us has done and it’s something we’ll remember for the rest of our lives,’ he said.

Swimming

Our boys and girls APS swim teams were outstanding in the first APS carnival for the year, with the girls’ agonisingly close second place by just 10 points and the boys finishing in a credible 7th position.

‘Swimming is unique as it is both an individual and a team sport.  Individual success is nice but succeeding as a team is really special,’ said Year 12 Co-Captain, Lilly.  ‘I hope to come back and coach for Wesley after I graduate, as after being Captain, I want to be involved in the success of the younger girls in the sport.’

Table Tennis

Wesley College has played interschool table tennis since the 1970s, but the diversity of the 2023 team has made everyone stand up and take notice!

Wesley has one of the few co-ed Firsts teams in the APS competition, with multi-generational players aged from 11 through to 17 years, playing alongside each other. And the team is really good, achieving an admirable, yet heart-breaking second place to Haileybury College who have dominated the competition for decades.

Taking the loss in their stride, Captain Gabby told the team it was a ‘learning opportunity, and motivation to train harder for next time.’

When Gabby joined the Firsts, she was one of the only girls on the team. Now, female members, selected on merit, make up half the team most weekends, and more than hold their own in terms of ranking. ‘It’s been incredible to see such an increase in the number of girls playing. I feel very proud to be leading such a diverse group of people!’ Gabby said.

The female captain has also inspired some of the younger players. ‘It feels good to have a female Captain,’ said Serena, ‘because whenever we play other schools, they are either an all boys’ school, or they have a male Captain.’

Having a co-ed team makes perfect sense to Ollie. ‘I think it is great to be a co-ed team because girls are as good as the boys, so why shouldn't they be in the team?’ Perhaps it’s that positive, inclusive mindset that has made this team as strong as it is.

Rowing

Rounding out the summer season was the 155th Head of the River rowing regatta. Our Year 10 Girls VIII won their event for the first time, eclipsing the competition to be crowned both Head of Schoolgirls and Head of the River champions. Our Boys First VIII crew led a nail-biting race and were narrowly beaten by a fast-finishing Scotch College, to take second place by a mere 1.6 seconds. Our Girls First VIII were equally impressive in an exciting final, finishing a close third behind Caulfield Grammar and Geelong Grammar.

Year 10 student Jasmine rowed with the Girls 10A Rowing crew this season and reflected after their Head of Schoolgirls win: ‘As my crew and I were rowing, there was nothing more encouraging than seeing and hearing all the Wesley girls, coaches and families cheering for us, showing as much excitement about our race as we did.’

Cricket

History was made this season with our Open A Girls team playing on the hallowed Front Turf at St Kilda Road for the very first time. The Wesley program continues to grow, with over 20 girls from Year 7-12 now competing, which bodes well for the future of girls cricket at the College.

As the sun sets on the summer season, we look forward to winter sport and more exciting stories of growth, achievement, leadership and team spirit.

Go Lions!

Find out more about cocurricular sport