Colwill thrilled to be SAHOF scholarship recipient

Hockeyroo Claire Colwill’s rise as a current and future star of Australian hockey has been recognised with a Tier 1 scholarship from the Sport Australia Hall of Fame (SAHOF).

Colwill, who soon turns 19, one was of six athletes selected as a T1 Scholarship Holder as part of the SAHOF 2023 Scholarship & Mentoring Program.

After earning selection in this year’s Hockeyroos squad, the Queenslander is already an integral part of the national senior women’s hockey program.

She made her Hockeyroos debut in May this year against New Zealand before being part of the Hockeyroos’ recent Women’s World Cup Bronze Medal and Commonwealth Games Silver Medal winning teams.

SAHOF T1 Scholarship Holders receive $10,000 towards their training and competition, as well as one-on-one mentoring from some of the greats of Australian sport who are all current members of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

Colwill has been paired with two-time Olympic medallist, World and Olympic beach volleyball champion Natalie Cook.

“I am thrilled to be a recipient of the SAHOF Scholarship. Not only am I honoured to be a part of such a prestigious group, I am also grateful for the opportunity to seek guidance and support with one of Australia’s greats in Natalie Cook,” said Colwill.

“To be able to engage in one-on-one conversations with Nat will be an unparalleled experience.”

Hockey Australia CEO David Pryles said Colwill’s SAHOF scholarship was great recognition for the potential she has shown.

“Hockey Australia congratulates Claire on being awarded a distinguished Sport Australia Hall of Fame Tier 1 Scholarship,” said Pryles.

“Claire is a rising star of hockey in Australia. She is not only an extremely talented player but has an outstanding demeanour and shows maturity beyond her 18 years.

“She is an exceptional role model to other young aspiring hockey players. These scholarships are a wonderful initiative of the SAHOF in recognising and supporting talented athletes in their pursuits both in and out of the sporting arena.”

In addition to Colwill being a scholarship recipient, the Hockeyroos and Australian hockey is also represented on the mentoring side.

Former Hockeyroos captain and triple Olympian Sharon Buchanan OAM is mentoring javelin thrower Mackenzie Mielczarek as part of the program.

For Buchanan, who was a member of Australia’s first Olympic gold medal-winning hockey team in 1988, it is something she is excited to be part of.

“To mentor Mackenzie - a confident, passionate and talented javelin athlete striving to reach her goals and committed to her journey to compete on the world stage is exciting,” said Buchanan.

“Although coming from a team sport such as hockey that has little parallels in terms of skill set, the physical and mental skills to achieve these goals are not so different.

“To surround oneself with positive, honest influences and people who support your dreams was important to me. I look forward to being one of those people for Mackenzie and hope my experiences can in some way help her on her journey.”

More information on the SAHOF 2023 Scholarship & Mentoring Program.