Meet the latest inductees to Unity College’s Sporting Hall of Fame
Three new inductees and two legends will be recognised at Unity College's Sporting Hall of Fame ceremony, next Friday night.
This sponsored story is brought to you by Unity College Murraylands.
Unity College will host its first Sporting Hall of Fame (SHOF) ceremony in five years next Friday night to recognise past students’ sporting achievements.
This year’s inductees include surf rower Madi Fielke, shooter Molly Bretag and goalball athlete Nikita Grosser.
The recognition assists in maintaining and developing a spirit of pride in achieving one’s personal best, aiming to inspire current and future Unity College students.
A new category has also been introduced this year: legend inductions recognise inductees who have achieved an outstanding level of performance over an extended period of time.
This year retired AFL star Chad Wingard and Olympic rower James McRae will be awarded.
Sam Hicks, SHOF committee member, says the committee members were excited to be hosting the ceremony.
"Covid caused delays but we finally get to publicly recognise the achievements of three extraordinary young women, who have reached high levels of achievement in their chosen sports.
"We are particularly excited by the fact that their sports are not mainstream, and it will be interesting for our guests to learn about goalball, surf rowing and shooting," Ms Hicks says.
Here are your 2025 Unity College Sports Hall of Fame inductees.
Madi Fielke – surf rowing
Graduating in 2018, Fielke has worked hard to represent the state in surf rowing in multiple events.
Fielke has won gold and silver at state events and represented the Australian Surf Life Saving team in 2023/24.
Her outstanding and consistent representation in her sport has earned her a spot in this years SHOF.
Fielke's sporting achievements
•Australian Surf Life Saving Championships Gold Medal U23 Female 2022/23 season.
•Australian Surf Life Saving Short Course Championships Gold Medal U23 Female 2022/23 season.
•Australian Surf Rowing League Open Bronze Medal U23 Female 2022/23 season.
•Gold U23 Women and Silver Open Women at South Australian State Titles season 2022/23.
•Gold U23 Women and Silver Open Women at South Australian Short Course State Titles season 2022/23.
•Australian Surf Life Saving Team U23 Female Representative 2023.
•Gold U23 Women and Silver Open Women at South Australian State Titles season 2023/24.
•Gold U23 Women and Gold Open Women at South Australian Short Course State Titles season 2023/24.
•Australian Surf Life Saving Team U23 Female Representative 2024 – Trans-Tasman champions for the second year in a row.
Molly Bretag – rifle shooting
Graduating in the class of 2021, Molly Bretag has certainly made massive strides in the world of shooting.
By the age of 16 Bretag had already gained various junior state titles including gold in the state team.
She has now progressed to Olympic Trap Discipline of shooting, where she hopes to make her Olympic debut.
Her career has progressed quickly from state to national representation at both junior and open levels.
Bretag's sporting achievements
- SA Ladies ISSF (International Sports Shooting Federation) Champion in 2022 and won bronze medals in NSW Championships as well.
- Bronze representing Australia in both the Junior World Cup (Germany, 2022) and Junior World Championships (Croatia, 2022).
- 2023: Commonwealth Silver Medal at the National Championships (Open) in Perth + April 2023 - NSW Ladies ISSF Champion (Open).
- July 2023: fourth in the Individual Women at the ISSF Junior (U/21) World Championships (Korea).
- Nov 2023: represented Australia in the Open Women in the Oceania Championships.
- February 2024: National New Zealand ISSF Champion, becoming the first woman to win this in the history of the event at just 20 years of age.
- Part of the Shooting Australia Pathways Squad and the Victorian Institute of Sport Program (Emerging Athlete) since 2023.
- October 2024: represented Australia at the Junior World Championships (Peru).
- September 2024: awarded a Sport Australia Hall of Fame Tier two Scholarship for 2025.
- Selected for 2025 for Shooting Australia’s Senior Performance Squad
Nikita Grosser – goalball
In 2016 Grosser graduated from Unity College and just a year later she was off to the goal ball Youth Championships in Hungary.
Goalball is an indoor team sport played by athletes who are blind or vision impaired, with all players wearing blackout eyeshades to give them an equal lack of vision.
Her sport has taken her all across the world from Sweden and Thailand to Portugal and China.
Grosser's sporting achievements
•2017: Montreal Goalball tournament.
•2017: 1st place in the Youth World Championships in Hungary.
•2018: Goalball World Championship’s in Malmo, Sweden.
•2019: Second in the Thailand Tournament.
•2022: Second in the Asia Pacific Championships in Bahrain and Goalball World Championships in Portugal.
•2023: IBSA World Games in Birmingham, UK and Asia Regional Championships in China.
Past AFL footballer Chad Wingard and rower James McRae will be recognised as legends. Photos: Unity College and Penny Hieghes
Chad Wingard and James McRae are now certified legends
Now legends of their sport, both Wingard and McRae have shown outstanding achievements in their sport for over ten years.
The athletes started their careers off in local sporting clubs and have continued to show exemplary character and sportsmanship both within and outside of their sporting field.
Wingard's sporting achievements
- AFL debut for Port Adelaide in 2012 and received an AFL Rising Star nomination in round 22 of that season.
- In round 19, 2013, Chad won the Showdown Medal for his five goal performance against the Adelaide Crows. He was described after the match as Port's most exciting player since Gavin Wanganeen.
- In only his second season, he was named in the 2013 All-Australian team, making him the youngest player to make an All-Australian team since Mark Ricciuto in 1994.
- Selected for the All Australian team in 2013 and in 2014 added the AFL Mark of the Year to his list of accolades.
- Played 147 games for the Port Adelaide Football Club.
- Played 71 games for Hawthorn Football Club.
- Current role: Indigenous and Social Policy Officer, AFL and various media commitments including commentating for Chanel 7.
McRae's sporting achievements
- 2008: selected for the Men’s Quad Scull at the Beijing Olympics, denied the bronze medal in a close photo finish.
- 2009: awarded life membership of the Murray Bridge Rowing Club: he is the club's most successful rower and the club's first Olympian since the Murray Bridge eight represented Australia at the 1924 Paris Olympics.
- 2010: Bronze in the Men's Quad Scull at the 2010 World Rowing Championships.
- 2011: Gold at the World Championship.
- 2011: Won the interstate Men's Single Scull (the President's Cup), joining a select few South Australians to win this event.
- 2012: Bronze at the London Olympics (Quad Scull).
- 2014: Bronze at the World Rowing Championships (Men’s pair).
- 2016: Silver at the Rio Olympic Games (Quads).
"The best part of being involved in the SHOF is learning about all the incredible sporting talent we have in the Murraylands and being able to showcase it," Ms Hicks says.
"To be able to support a student’s climb to greatness in their junior years is a privilege for Unity, grassroots sporting clubs and the wider community.
"We all know that sport is an integral part of the social and cultural strength of our community."
The event kicks of at the Unity College steeple from 6.30pm for a 7pm start, all are welcome.
- RSVP to this free event: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing
Advertising to more than 20,000 highly engaged locals can do wonders for your business. Call Jane Intini on 0418 835 768 or email jane@murraybridge.news.
Peri Strathearn
