Medals flow for region's rising stars

Above: Mia Doyle in action during her double-medal winning day. Picture Lilliana Lazarus. 

Six students from the Redcliffe region struck gold and silver in recent water polo finals and five are off to the state championships next month.

Sisters Mara, in her first season and Amelie Hoefel represented their club Mermaids in the Brisbane competition and made finals.

Mara, of Scarborough State School, was in the Mermaids Pink Under 12 team which faced Australian youth champions All Hallows Blue in the final.

The scores were level after four quarters and All Hallows took the deciding penalty shootout 8-7. Mara getting a silver medal.

Amelie, from Redcliffe State High School, was in the Mermaids Blue side facing North Brisbane Polo Bears, from Albany Creek, in the final.

Scorers were level in each quarter until Mermaids scored in the final minute to win 6-5 – Amelie collecting a gold medal.

Grace Lutheran College students Annabelle Clarke, Tiana Doyle and Abbie McDonald went head-to-head in their Division One Grand Final at The Valley Pool.

Annabelle's Mermaids White team won gold beating North Brisbane Polo Bears, with Tiana Doyle and Abbie McDonald who won silver, 5-4 in a thriller.

Abbie then joined Mia Doyle, from Year 9, in their Polo Bears team which won silver in the Under 16A Girls grand final against Mermaids Blue, which included Amelie Hoefel.

In one of the final matches of the day, Mia Doyle was on the winning Polo Bears Under 15 Division One against All Hallows’ School after a dominating 8-0 victory.

Annabelle Clarke, Tiana Doyle, Mia Doyle, Abbie McDonald and Amelie Hoefel have been selected for the Sunshine Coast Schools Girls Water Polo squad at the State Championships in April. Mia and Amelie are the youngest on the team.