QAS Supported athletes awarded AIS Scholarship

Benjamin Manning (Paddle), Claire Colwill, Renee Taylor and Stephanie Kershaw (Hockey), Jessica Ewart-McTigue (Triathlon), Matilda Moore (Water Polo), Ria Thompson (Rowing), Susan Seipel (Paddle), Tahli Gill (Olympic Winter Institute of Australia), Tara Sosinski (Triathlon) were announced as scholarship recipients today.

In the lead up to Paris 2024, Olympic rower and Tokyo bronze medallist Ria Thompson says the AIS Education Scholarship will help her take the first steps in preparing for her post-athletic career as a doctor, while also training for her goal of becoming a dual Olympian.

“The skills required to be a high performance athlete complement my studies and will one day be very important to my career in medicine,” Thompson said. “I have always loved studying and training concurrently and while balancing them has been challenging at times, I have learnt invaluable time management and organisational skills and the importance of prioritising and asking for help.”

In its second year, the AIS Education Scholarship program has now awarded a total of more than $320,000 in scholarships to 118 athletes across 30 sports and 31 tertiary institutions. The program is possible thanks to the generous support of the John and Myriam Wylie Foundation.

John Wylie, former Chair of the Australian Sports Commission, said: “I’ve been inspired to see how hard athletes work to chase their sporting dreams, but it doesn’t need to be at the sacrifice of their other ambitions in life. Sport and education are a winning mix.

“It’s fantastic to see more sports and more educational institutions take the opportunity to join this program, this time we’re adding athletes from rugby, netball and boccia. We have seasoned Olympians and Paralympians who have competed at the highest level, through to emerging athletes starting out on their sporting and education journeys. That’s the wonderful opportunity Australian sport provides.”

QAS Supported AIS Education Scholarship recipients

• Benjamin Manning: Paddle Australia, Griffith University, Bachelor of Psychology (Honours), QLD
• Claire Colwill: Hockey Australia, The University of Queensland, Clinical Exercise Physiology (Honours), QLD
• Jessica Ewart-McTigue: Triathlon Australia, Griffith University, Bachelor of Environment and Science,  QLD
• Matilda Moore: Water Polo Australia, Queensland University of Technology, Bachelor of Vision Science, QLD
• Renee Taylor: Hockey Australia, Curtin University, Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Commerce, WA
• Stephanie Kershaw: Hockey Australia, Curtin University, Bachelor of Primary Education, WA
• Ria Thompson: Rowing Australia, The University of Queensland, Doctor of Medicine, QLD
• Susan Seipel: Paddle Australia, Griffith University, Psychology (Hon), QLD
• Tahli Gill: Olympic Winter Institute of Australia, Queensland University of Technology, Bachelor Degree of Education (Primary), QLD
• Tara Sosinski: Triathlon Australia, Griffith University, Bachelor of Biomedical Science, QLD