NOTABLE ALUMNI

Bec Henderson – Dual Olympian

Race Walking

2018 SESF scholarship recipient

Bec was the first SESF alumni to become an Olympian when she competed at the Tokyo Olympics at in the 20km race walk.
Bec was just 20 years of age, becoming the youngest competitor in the 20km Race Walk at the Games, where she finished 38th.
Bec is now a dual Olympian, after she competed in both the 20km Race Walk and the Marathon Team Racewalk Relay at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Jack Howell – Paralympian

Paratriathlon

2016 SESF scholarship recipient

At 19 years of age, Jack was the youngest international competitor in the world rankings and the youngest on the Australian team.
Jack has won five medals for Australia and is currently ranked 2nd in the
World Triathlon Para PTS5 rankings.
In 2024, Jack won the Stockton Oceania Paratriathlon, marking his first World Series win.
Jack competed in the 2024 Paris Paralympics, finishing 7th place in the Men’s PTS5 Paratriathlon.

Monique Conti

AFLW and Basketball

2014 SESF scholarship recipient

Monique won the AFL Women’s Best and Fairest Award in 2023 after a great season with Richmond FC.
In 2018 Monique won an AFLW premiership with the Western Bulldogs, and was awarded best on ground in the game. In 2019, Monique was also awarded the Western Bulldogs Best & Fairest award.
This dual-sport superstar also plays for the Melbourne Boomers in the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL). Monique was an integral part of the Southside Flyers Championship team in 2020.

Harley Reid

AFL

2017 SESF scholarship recipient

Harley was the no.1 pick in the 2023 AFL Draft, selected by the West Coast Eagles.
Harley made his debut in round one in 2024 against Port Adelaide.
The rookie had a standout first season, securing a nomination for the Rising Star Award and won Goal of the Year at the 2024 Brownlow.

Maddy Prespakis

AFLW

2015 SESF scholarship recipient

Maddy is one of the brightest stars in the AFLW with 3 X AFLW All Australian team selections in 2019, 2020 and 2022 as well winning the Carlton Best and Fairest in the same years as her All-Australian selection.
In 2020, Maddy won the highest individual honour in the Women’s game taking home the AFLW Best and Fairest award.

Changkuoth Jiath

AFL

2014 SESF scholarship recipient

Known as CJ, Jiath debuted for Hawthorn in 2018.
In 2021, CJ was a part of the 22Under22 final team announced by the AFL Players’ Association.
He won the Hawks Community Leadership Award in 2024, recognised for his work with the South Sudanese community

Gabby Newton

AFLW

2016 SESF scholarship recipient

Gabby is a talented dual athlete playing elite level Australian Football for the Fremantle Dockers and playing for the Southern Sabres in the NBL1 in her off seasons.
Gabby was the Number 1 AFLW Draft pick in the 2019 Draft and Rising Star Nominee in 2020.

Jasper Stubbs

Golf

2019 SESF scholarship recipient

In 2023, Jasper made waves in the international golf world by winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championships.
He debuted in the US Masters in April 2024 and also competed in the Open Championships at Royal Troon later that year.
In October 2024, Jasper turned pro.

Josh Rachele

AFL

2015 SESF scholarship recipient

Josh was the no. 6 pick in the 2021 AFL Draft, selected by the Adelaide Crows.
He also is a talented soccer player, having received an SESF scholarship for soccer, and was a member of the Australian under-17s soccer squad.
In his AFL debut against Fremantle in Round One (2022), Josh kicked 5 goals.

Stacey Papadopoulos

Soccer

2012 SESF scholarship recipient

Stacey currently plays for the professional football club, Hibernian FC in Edinburgh, Scotland.
She previously played 2 seasons for Western United in the A-League in Australia before her move to Hibernian FC.

Maja Markovski

Soccer

2018 SESF scholarship recipient

Maja was part of the Melbourne Victory squad that won two successive A-League crowns in 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons.
She currently plays for Canberra United as an attacker.

Sione Finau

NRL

2014 SESF scholarship recipient

Sione’s NRL debut was in Round 26, 2023.
In 2023, he was signed to the Illawarra Dragons.

Alyssia Pisano

AFLW

2018 SESF scholarship recipient

Alyssa was the no. 6 pick in the 2023 AFLW Draft.
She currently plays for Melbourne FC in the AFLW.