Sports Day 2026 brought fierce but friendly competition, and an atmosphere brimming with school spirit. Despite close results for majority of the day, Coulthard ultimately crushed it, taking first place and the 2026 shield with an impressive 2260 points.

“Second, third and fourth were swapping around all day, even fifth were up there for a while sitting in second about halfway through the day,” explained Mr Brad West, Sports Manager.

Runners-up in second place were Angas (1643), followed by Light (1628), Sturt (1605) and Murray (1523).

“It was good to finally see the red team in our top two as they’ve been down and out for a while, and it’s their first time making it to the top two” commented Mr West on Angas’ runner-up position.

Angas and Murray are yet to take an overall win, while Sturt are yet to follow up their 2018 victory. This year marks Coutlhard’s third win since the inception of the house system (in 2018) at Nuriootpa High School, having previously taken the shield in 2021 and 2025. Light currently hold the record with five wins (2019, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024).

In a display of generous sportsmanship, Coulthard vice-captain Kailee W delivered an acceptance speech thanking fellow students for their efforts and acknowledging the behind-the-scenes work of the school staff in making sports day a success.

This spirit of teamwork was also evident in the large numbers of students who entered the traditional tractor pull event.

“Every year records are broken with the number of students getting together in groups of ten to pull the big rig – such a fun event,” reflected Mr West.

A number of students also made exceptional individual contributions to their team’s tally. Senior student student Miyu E won nine out of the eleven events she competed in (and took second place in the remaining two). Tyson W dominated his age division with five first-place wins, one second-place and two third-place ribbons, while Kai S, Averlie S, Isabelle Z and Makayla Goers recorded four first-place finishes each.

“It was interesting to see that although Murray house came in fifth place overall, they actually took first place in the under 21 division and second in the under 13s, which is a great reminder that every age group contributes to the final score,” said Mr West.

Age group division winners: