Braves, Pearse adjudged best for August

THE national championship-winning Bendigo Braves women’s basketball team, and gun swimmer Col Pearse are the August finalists in Bendigo’s Sports of the Year award.

Bendigo’s victory in the NB1 national champion finals in Western Australia capped a perfect season by the Braves line-up.

The Mark Alabakov-coached team won all 28 matches, a first in the club’s history.

Bendigo qualified for the nationals by beating Waverley Falcons in the NB1 South final in an 83-78 victory than earned the Braves a trip to Joondalup.

A remarkable run in the national play-offs was capped by a 114-87 result against East Conference champions Norths Bears.

Gun forward Meg McKay scored 46 points and racked up 15 rebounds to be the tournament’s most valuable player.

A talented Bendigo line-up included guard Kelly Wilson, a four-time WNBL champion who is now preparing to play for Bendigo Spirit in what will be her 21st season in the top league.

The Bendigo Braves NB1 national championship winning team were Amy Atwell, Poppy Blanch, Kasey Burton, Jessica Mangan, Meg McCarthy, Megan McKay, Cassidy McLean, Jessie Rennie, Caitlin Richardson, Madeline Sexton, Milly Wicks, and Wilson.

Bamawm’s Col Pearse capped another World Para Swimming Championships campaign by winning a silver medal and a bronze.

The 20-year-old achieved a personal best of 2:13.68 as he powered to second place in the 200-metre medley for S10 class in Manchester.

Pearse also swam in the 100-metre butterfly and raced to third place.

It was a memorable return to England for a swimmer who had done a lot of training in the lead-up to the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics by swimming in the dam on the family farm.

Among the highs of Pearse’s swimming career was gold in the 100-metre butterfly at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, and bronze for the same discipline at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.

Pearse’s sights are on the 2024 Paralympics in Paris.