Stacey Waaka and Joelle King share two top Brian Perry Waikato Regional sports titles

Joelle King: Sportswoman & Supreme Award for Sporting Excellence. Photo / Greg Bowker

Stacey Waaka and Joelle King jointly won two major titles at the Brian Perry Waikato Regional Sports Awards in Hamilton on Friday night.

The event showcases and celebrates sporting achievement from local grassroots clubs through to high performance level.

A total of 78 individuals, teams, clubs and events were selected as finalists from more than 600 nominations.

Commonwealth Games gold medallists, squash player Joelle King and rugby player Stacey Waaka, jointly took out both the Sportswoman of the Year title and the top honour of Supreme Award for Sporting Excellence.

Stacey Waaka: Sportswoman & Supreme Award for Sporting Excellence. Photo / Supplied

Joelle claimed gold medals in both the singles and doubles at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, and Stacey was part of the Black Ferns Rugby Sevens team that won gold at the Games and a world title at the Rugby World Cup Sevens in July last year.

Other winners from the night included cyclist Sam Gaze who won Sportsman of the Year, Real Health NZ picking up the Innovation in Sport & Recreation award for their health and fitness online community initiative, rugby player Quinn Tupaea winning the Emerging Talent award, Taupo Phoenix Rugby League Club's Stephanie Ngamotu-Tahana picking up the award for Administrator of the Year, and blind triathlete Shannon Cleave winning the new Disability Award.

As always, the judges' decisions were made extremely difficult by the high calibre of nominations submitted from around the Waikato region.
Sport Waikato Chief Executive Matthew Cooper said: "The performances of our sportspeople and supporters from across the Waikato region have just been outstanding, and we commend them on the hard work and sacrifices they make every day – to be a finalist at these awards is a major achievement."

2018 Brian Perry Waikato Regional Sports Award Winners

Administrator
Stephanie Ngamotu-Tahana, Rugby League, Taupo Phoenix Rugby League Club.

Club
Hauraki Plains Youth Cricket.

Community Coach
Michael Polley, Volleyball, Hamilton Volleyball Club.

Club Team
Thames Coast Bowling Men's Club Fours Team.

Disability
Shannon Cleave, Triathlon, Achilles Waikato, Hamilton.

Performance Coach
Gareth Hopkins, Cricket, Northern Districts Cricket Association, Hamilton.

Emerging Talent
Quinn Tupaea, Rugby Union, Waikato Rugby Union, Hamilton.

Official
Glenn Carson, Squash, Squash Waikato, Hamilton.

Sportswoman & Supreme Award for Sporting Excellence
Joelle King, Squash, Squash Waikato, Waipa.
Stacey Waaka, Rugby Union, Waikato Rugby Union, Hamilton.

Sportsman
Sam Gaze
Cycling (MTB), Te Awamutu Sports Cycling, Waipa.

Team
Knights, Cricket, Northern Districts Cricket Association, Hamilton.

Secondary School Sportswoman
Charlisse Leger-Walker, Basketball, St Peter's School, Cambridge, Waipa.

Secondary School Sportsman
Finn Fisher-Black, Cycling, St Peter's School.

Secondary School Team
St Peter's School, Cambridge Girls U18 Rowing Eight.

Innovation in Sport & Recreation
Real Health NZ, Matamata-Piako.