Mid West Academy of Sport

Three of our Mid West Academy of Sport athletes took to the track at last weekend’s Mullewa Gift, with some fantastic performances across the day.

At just 14, Amelia Heinrich powered away from the field to claim 🥇 1st place in the 120m Novice, with fellow MWAS athlete Rowan Dennis holding strong to take 🥉 3rd place.

Amelia then stepped well outside her comfort zone in the gruelling 550m, lining up against competitors 10 or more years her senior. She showed incredible determination and endurance to fight all the way to the line, narrowly missing the podium in 4th place.

Wynand Neethling, 19, also produced an impressive day on the track. Starting from the back mark, Wynand worked his way through the field to qualify for the 120m Mullewa Gift Final, where he finished a very close 4th.

He wasn't done yet! In the final race of the day, Wynand delivered another brilliant run to claim 🥈 2nd place in the 120m Back Markers Invitational.

A win, two more podium finishes and some seriously impressive racing from our MWAS crew! 👏

Congratulations Amelia, Rowan and Wynand - a fantastic day of racing and a great representation of MWAS and the Mid West!

MWAS is proudly supported by:
WA Government + Department of Creative Industries, Tourism and Sport

Alongside premiership captain Tiani Teakle, fellow MWAS alum Jasmine Johansen was also part of East Fremantle’s WAFLW Grand Final side, helping the Sharks claim the 2026 premiership! 🦈

To have not one, but two MWAS alumni out there on Grand Final day - and ultimately celebrating with the premiership cup - is a pretty special moment for our Academy and the Mid West sporting community.

Jasmine’s journey is another wonderful example of where dedication, hard work and opportunities in sport can lead our young regional athletes.

A huge congratulations to Jasmine on this fantastic achievement. We’re incredibly proud to see you continuing to make your mark! 👏💙

Two MWAS alumni. One premiership team. One very proud Academy! 🏆

Could you be one of the Mid West's next generation of track and field talents?

The Mid West Academy of Sport is on the lookout for dedicated young athletes aged 12–18 to take part in our upcoming Track & Field Talent Identification Day on Saturday 19 September.

Whether your strength is sprinting, jumping, throwing, middle or long-distance running or you'd love to give pole vault a go, this could be the opportunity to take your athletics to the next level.

Previous MWAS Talent ID programs have identified young Mid West athletes who have gone on to join our high-performance squad and achieve podium finishes at state and national level 💪

Selected athletes have access to specialised coaching, strength and conditioning, biomechanical analysis, physiological testing, nutritional guidance and physiotherapy support as part of the MWAS high-performance environment.

You don't need to already be at the top of your sport. We're looking for potential, dedication and the drive to improve.

📅 Saturday 19 September
📍 Active West Stadium
👟 Ages 12–18
⏰ Morning – time TBA
📋 Expressions of Interest close 5pm Monday 14 September.

Think this could be you or know a young athlete who should give it a shot?

Complete an Expression of Interest at:
www.mwaswa.com.au/track-field-expression-of-interest

How awesome is this?! 🏆💙

MWAS alum Tiani Teakle has captained East Fremantle to the 2026 WAFLW Premiership - claiming a thrilling four-point Grand Final victory over Swan Districts on Sunday.

At just 20 years old, seeing Tiani leading her team onto the biggest stage and then getting to lift that premiership cup is something pretty special and something that makes us incredibly proud here at MWAS.

From a young Mid West athlete to WAFLW premiership captain. We absolutely love seeing our MWAS alumni continuing to achieve great things in their sporting careers and this moment is one for the memory bank! 👏

Congratulations to Tiani and the entire East Fremantle team on an incredible season and a very well-deserved premiership 🦈🏆

Image credit: waflofficial and effcsharks {IG}

Two rugs. Two incredible achievements. One very proud MWAS!

Congratulations to MWAS athlete Stevie Hopkins on a brilliant showing at the 2026 July Show Jumping Classic, taking home not one, but TWO beautiful winner’s rugs:

🏆 Best Performing Combination - North Ring
🏆 Best Performed Off the Track Horse

Winning a rug is a pretty special achievement in the equestrian world, so coming home with two is something Stevie can be incredibly proud of. It's a fantastic reward for all the hard work, dedication and partnership that goes on behind the scenes.

We love seeing our MWAS athletes out there doing what they love and achieving great things! 👏🐴

MWAS is proudly supported by:
WA Government + Department of Creative Industries, Tourism and Sport

Rain wasn't going to stop our MWAS athletes at the Backroads Gravel event, with brilliant performances across multiple distances and age groups! 🌧️💪

🥇 Bede Halford – 1st, 5km, 13–15 category
🥇 James Taylor – 1st, 5km 16–18 category
🥇 Zaylee Scheicher – 1st, 5km13–15 category
🥇 Noah Brown – 1st, 14km 16–18 category
🥉 Macy Halford – 3rd, Half Marathon 16–18 category

Five athletes, four wins and a podium finish – an incredible showing from the MWAS crew! 💪

Congratulations Bede, James, Zaylee, Noah and Macy. We’re incredibly proud to see you out there challenging yourselves, representing the Mid West and putting in such fantastic performances.

Well done, team! 👏💙

MWAS is proudly supported by:
WA Government + Department of Creative Industries, Tourism and Sport

A special shout-out for MWAS cyclist Nathan Abetz 🚴‍♂️💙

Nathan has qualified for the National Championships in Brisbane this year - an incredible achievement in itself - but it was something that happened off the bike at the weekend’s Backroads Gravel event that really caught our attention.

Nathan spent hours working away in the rain and wind, washing bikes to help raise the funds needed to get himself to Brisbane.

And his efforts certainly didn’t go unnoticed, with this beautiful feedback coming from one of the event competitors:
“I was so impressed seeing Nathan work tirelessly (in the rain and wind for hours!) bike washing to raise the funds to get him to Brisbane. What a great young man!”

We couldn’t agree more.

Qualifying for a National Championships takes talent, dedication and an enormous amount of hard work and seeing Nathan putting that same determination into getting himself there makes us even prouder.

Congratulations on qualifying, Nathan. Every bike washed has got you a little closer to that start line in Brisbane and we’ll be cheering you all the way! 🇦🇺🚴‍♂️👏

MWAS is proudly supported by:
WA Government + Department of Creative Industries, Tourism and Sport

We couldn't resist sharing a few more photos from the Geraldton Show Jumping Classic 2026.

MWAS athlete Isabella Main had a fantastic weekend in the arena, with some wonderful results to show for all her hard work and dedication. Congratulations, Isabella! 👏🐎

MWAS is proudly supported by:
WA Government + Department of Creative Industries, Tourism and Sport