Award of Excellence Winners

Grace’s 2024 season started by winning the Australian nationals and she earned the biggest win of her career by claiming the Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes one-day classic in April. She won two stage wins and the overall victory at the Bretagne Tour stage race. She went on to win Olympic gold in the Individual Time Trial and became the first Australian woman to medal in the Olympic ITT and first Australian to win gold in that event. She then became the first rider to ever win both the Olympic Games and World Championship time trial in the same year.

Other award winners on the night included:

• Frank Pyke Achievement Award: Sharelle McMahon (Netball)
• Sarah Tait Spirit Award: Jean Mitchell (Rowing)
• Para Athlete Award: Qian Yang OAM (Para table tennis) & Emily Petricola OAM (Para cycling)
• 2XU Rising Star Award: Brock Batty (Trampoline)
• Open Universities Australia Performance Lifestyle Award: Grace Brown OAM (Cycling)

Jemima broke an 18-year 20km Australian and Oceania race walking record by 13 seconds and won a second consecutive Commonwealth Games gold medal months after her top four performance at the World Athletics Championships. She developed the ‘Play On’ program, focusing on how females can overcome their unique barrier to playing sport.

Other award winners on the night included:

• Frank Pyke Achievement Award: James Tomkins (Rowing)
• Sarah Tait Spirit Award: Liz Watson (Netball)
• Para Athlete Award: Col Pearse (Para swimming)
• 2XU Rising Star Award: Charli Petrov (Diving)
• Open Universities Australia Performance Lifestyle Award: Jemima Montag (Athletics)

Scotty won gold at six out of six events throughout 2018/19 season, including wins at The Dew Tour, X Games, US Grand Prix, Laax Open and the US Burton Open, as well as a third consecutive FIS World Championship title, an unprecedented feat as the first-ever snowboarder to do so.

Other award winners on the night included:

• Frank Pyke Achievement Award: Kevin Murfitt (Para Water Ski)
• Sarah Tait Spirit Award: Renae Ingles (Netball)
• Para Athlete Award: Dylan Alcott AO (Wheelchair Tennis)
• 2XU Rising Star Award: Amy Lawton (Hockey)
• William Angliss Performance Lifestyle Award: Mitchell Gourley (Alpine Skiing)

Carol successfully regained her status as dual World Champion, winning both the Road Race and Time Trial in 2017. She recorded three Para cycling Road World Cup victories. Her dedication to training and bravery to try different training methods saw her record a career best time trial result at the UCI World Championship.

Other award winners on the night included:

• Frank Pyke Achievement Award: Daniel Kowalski (Swimming)
• Sarah Tait Spirit Award: Hannah Macdougall (Para swimming, Para cycling and Para triathlon)
• Elite Athlete with a Disability Award: Mitchell Gourley (Para alpine skiing)
• 2XU Youth Award: Isis Holt (Para athletics)
• William Angliss Personal Excellence Award: Jacinta Carroll (Water skiing)

Dylan rose to world number one after he won the US Open Wheelchair Quad Singles and the Australian Open Wheelchair Championship. He also had six other tournament victories which contributed to becoming the men’s world leading player.

Other award winners on the night included:

• Gatorade Spirit Award: Madison Robinson (Netball)
• Elite Athlete with a Disability Award: Amanda Reynolds (Para canoe)
• 2XU Youth Award: Alistair Donohoe (Para cycling)
• William Angliss Personal Excellence Award: Racheal Lynch OAM (Hockey)

Kim took out her second consectuve VIS Award of Excellence after becoming the 2013 World Rowing Champion in the Women’s Single Sculls. She won the gold medal in Chungju, South Korea, by defeating Olympic champion Mirka Knapkova. This historic win made her the first Australian woman to win a single sculls world title.

Other award winners on the night included:

• Gatorade Spirit Award: Simon Gerrans (Cycling)
• Elite Athlete with a Disability Award: Carol Cooke (Para cycling)
• 2XU Youth Award: Mack Horton (Swimming)
• William Angliss ACE Award: Bianca Chatfield (Netball)

Cadel Evans AM had an outstanding year on the bike, taking the title of the prestigious 2011 Tour de France.

Other award winners on the night included:

• Gatorade Spirit Award: Mary-Anne Monckton (Gymnastics)
• Musashi Elite Athlete with a Disability Award: Jamie McDonald (Water skiing)
• 2XU Youth Award: Jack Cumings and Alex Morgan (Cycling)
• William Angliss ACE Award: Katya Crema (Ski Cross)

Leigh Howard showcased his incredible talent across both the track and road, winning a UCI World Championship in the Madison, as well as taking out the Tour of Slovakia and a number of one day events.

Other award winners on the night included:

• Gatorade Spirit Award: Fiona Coley (Gymnastics)
• Musashi Elite Athlete with a Disability Award: Cameron Rahles-Rahbula (AWD Skiing)
• 2XU Youth Award: Leigh Howard (Cycling)
• William Angliss ACE Award: Julie Corletto (Netball)

Cadel Evans had a fantastic year, finishing second in the 2007 Tour de France to become the most successful Australian Tour rider in history

Other award winners on the night included:

• Spirit Award: David Crawshay (Rowing)
• Elite Athlete with a Disability Award: Michael Gallagher (Para cycling)
• Youth Award: Glenn O’Shea (Cycling)
• William Angliss ACE Award: Alice McNamara (Rowing)

Katie claimed the 2025 VIS Award of Excellence after her gold medal performance at the World Track Cycling Championships.

Other award winners on the night included:

• Spirit Award: Rohan Veal (Sailing)
• Elite Athlete with a Disability Award: Lachlan Jones (Para-Athletics)
• Network Ten Youth Award: Leigh Howard (Cycling)
• William Angliss ACE Award: Johannah Curran (Netball)
• City of Melbourne Lord Mayor’s Award: Kate Quigley (Softball)

Former gymnast turned aerial skier, Alisa holds the champion status across Olympic, World and World Cup events. In addition to her sporting prowess, she demonstrated strong ambassadorship for her sport, women’s sport and for the VIS.

Other award winners on the night included:

• Spirit Award: Louise Dobson (Hockey)
• Athlete with a Disability Award: Daniela Di Toro (Wheelchair Tennis)
• Network Ten Youth Award: Monette Russo (Gymnastics)
• William Angliss ACE Award: Elizabeth Walton (Netball)
• City of Melbourne Lord Mayor’s Award: Glenn Singleton (Sprint Canoe)

Matt earnt his nomination as the 2021 VIS Award of Excellence winner after claiming gold in the 2001 World Championships (100m Backstroke and 4×100 Medley) as well as Bronze in the 50m Backstroke.

Other award winners on the night included:

• Leader Spirit Award: Arthur Brett (Sailing)
• VicHealth Athlete with a Disability Award: Kevin Murfitt (EAD Water Skiing)
• Network Ten Youth Award: Cameron White (Cricket)
• City of Melbourne Lord Mayor’s Award: Karen Morrissey (Squash)

Cathy won gold at the World Athletics Championships in the Women’s 400m, earning her second VIS Award of Excellence accolade.

Other award winners on the night included:

• VicHealth Athlete with a Disability Award: Di Toro (Wheelchair Tennis and Para table tennis)
• Network Ten/AUF Junior Athlete of the Year: Aaron Baddeley (Golf) and Georgie Clarke (Athletics)

Cathy won gold at the World Athletics Championships in the Women’s 400m, earning her first (of what would become three) VIS Award of Excellence honours.

Daniel Kowalski had a standout year, winning three gold medals at the 1995 World Short Course Championships in the 400m Freestyle, 1500m Freestyle and 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay.

Other award winners on the night included:

• Cedar Court Athlete with a Disability Award: Brian McNicholl (Para powerlifting)
• Junior Athlete of the Year: Narelle Peterson (Cycling)

Danielle Woodward became the first Australian woman to win an Olympic medal in canoe/kayak. The VIS kayaker claimed a history-making silver medal in Barcelona in the K1 Slalom.

As a 19 year old amateur, Robert was the youngest player to qualify for the 1991 British Open Golf Championships at Royal Birkdale in July. Later the same year, he won the Victorian Open at the Woodlands Golf Club, setting a course record (66) in the first round and becoming the first amateur to succeed in the last thirty years. He became the VIS’s inaugural winner of the Award of Excellence.