This month, over 150 teams and 20,000 athletes came together in Auckland for the 15th Pan Pacific Youth Festival. With 12 days of non-stop competition across six venues, WPNSW entered 19 teams in six divisions for the Pan Pacs Festival and secured one gold, two silver and one bronze medal.
Al Caldwell and Richie Campbell’s Blues teams both finished with silver medal in the U20 Men’s and Women’s competitions respectively. Whilst the U20 Men’s NSW Waratahs finished 9th, the team showed a wonderful display of Think.Act.Play against the New Caledonian Birds; mixing the teams in the second-half. It was the first time a New Caledonia team had competed in the Pan Pacs competition and it was a special moment for all the players, enjoying the sport together from all different cultures.
From 4-0 down in the first quarter, the U16 Girls Blues snatched the Pan Pacs title in the dying seconds against Atlantis City, New Zealand. The U16 Girls Blues clawed back throughout the match and it wasn’t until a great steal from Ellena Little who swam up the pool and played a calm one-two pass with Lucy Hull to slot home the victory with one second to play. From Women’s Olympic Head Coach bronze medallist to now Pan Pacs champion, Greg McFadden’s team ran through the competition undefeated with Blues player Maeve Ryan crowned MVP of the tournament. The Girls Waratahs, Platypuses and NSW Junior Country team all went on to secure fantastic rankings for the tournament.
The U16 Boys Blues brought home silverware, winning the plate against Sea Wolf Black in their play-off match with a 13-3 victory. The NSW Waratahs claimed equal 5th, whilst the NSW Platypuses and NSW Junior Country sides secured 15th and 22nd respectively. That wrapped up an action packed first week of Pan Pacs and WPNSW were ready to claim more silverware in week 2 with the U14s.
All eight NSW U14 teams (4 boys and 4 Girls) finished in the top half of the table which was a great achievement.
The U14 Boys NSW Waratahs claimed the Plate over the NSW Opals team in a mate-vs-mate fixture. The Platypuses placed 11th position with a victory over the Sydney Uni Pirates. After a heartbreaking loss in the Semi-Final against North Harbour, the NSW Blues Boys bounced back to win the Bronze Medal against Marist, New Zealand.
The U14 Girls NSW Waratahs side were unlucky not to walk away with a medal, losing to QLD White in penalty-shootout in the bronze medal match. Both Girls NSW Blues and Opals team performed very well in their play-off matches to finish 5th and equal 7th respectively. Finally, the NSW Platypuses also claimed victory in their playoff match to finish in 14th. Overall a fantastic tournament from all our U14s athletes; with majority of the athletes competing in their first ever international tournament; an experience they’ll never forget.
Another mention to the following NSW teams who also participated at the Pan Pacific Youth Festival and achieved great results:
- Sydney Uni Wildcats: =5th (U16 Girls)
- NSW CHS: 22nd (U16 Girls)
- NSW CHS: 12th (U16 Boys)
- South West NSW: 29th (U16 Boys)
- Sydney Uni Pirates: 12th (U14 Boys)
- Honey Badgers NSW: 24th (U14 Boys)
WPNSW would like to congratulate all the teams that competed, and the effort they showed throughout the tournament. WPNSW would like to finally thank all the athletes, coaches, parents and staff who have given their time to make this a fantastic tournament and program.
Written by Vangeli Kollias (WPNSW Communications Coordinator).
WPNSW Teams Final Standings:
Age Group
|
Gender
|
Final Place
|
U20
|
Boys
|
Blues: 2nd
Waratahs: 9th
|
Girls
|
Blues: 2nd
|
U16
|
Boys
|
Waratahs: 5th
Blues: 9th Platypuses: 15th Junior Country: 22nd
|
Girls
|
Blues: 1st Platypuses: 10th
Waratahs: 21st Junior Country: 23rd
|
U14
|
Boys
|
Blues: 3rd Waratahs: 9th Opals: 10th
Platypus: 11th
|
Girls
|
Waratahs: 4th Blues: 5th Opals: 7th Platypus: 14th
|
Last Modified on 27/07/2018 16:16