Michele Timms Medal 2023
The Michele Timms Medal is our annual awards night celebrating our players, club and community, and the evening was a great way to wrap up what was another successful year for the Deakin Melbourne Boomers.
Held at Melbourne Zoo’s Leopard Lodge, and co-hosted by Jason Bennett and Tess Madgen, the night began by recognising the Volunteer of the Year, which was won by Matthew Maiolo. Matthew has been integral to our game day delivery, and has pitched in at events to help the Boomers off the court as well. We are nothing without our volunteers, and we appreciate the efforts of Matthew and all who give their time to make our club tick.
Next up was the Members’ Player of the Year, which was won by Cayla George. The WNBL saw Cayla as the MVP of the league, and our members agreed, choosing Cayla as their top player for season 22-23.
Rachel Brewster deservedly took home the Linda Perry Award, which is given to the person who best embodies the spirit of the Boomers just as its namesake did. Congratulations Rachel.
The Coach’s Award saw Chris Lucas honour the retiring Mia Murray, who has had a stellar career and will be missed through the WNBL. Mia was also popular amongst her teammates, winning the Player’s Player of the Year. It may have only lasted one season, but Mia’s time with the Boomers has left a mark and we are humbled to have been part of her journey in a small way.
The Most Improved Player award was no surprise, going to Kristy Wallace who had a breakout season with the Boomers. Her commitment to her craft was duly recognised by the club in what is a career with many more award to come. Kristy was also recognised at League-level, being named to the WNBL First Team.
The Deakin’s Sports Education and Nutrition School (SENS) High Performance Player of the Year recognises an athlete with exceptional commitment in the field, and Tiffany Mitchell proved the obvious choice given her work in the gym and passion for everything high performance. It is great to see the unseen effort recognised, and we congratulate Tiffany on all she has achieved.
It was time for some fun before moving onto the final award of the night, with Lou Brown taking the stage as quizmaster to test the knowledge of her teammates on all things season 2022-23. Honestly, we cannot even remember who won, but we do know that this was a lot of fun and a great addition to the night. Well done, Lou.
It was then time for the big one – the Michele Timms Medal and MVP for this season. The honours were shared by Cayla George & Tiffany Mitchell, who both had incredible seasons making the WNBL First and Second team respectively. Individually, Cayla won League MVP and Tiffany was the WNBL’s leading scorer. The two players will meet again soon in the WNBA, where Cayla will return to for the first time in six years after being signed by the Las Vegas Aces. Tiffany made a move to the Minnesota Lynx and will undoubtedly take her WNBL form into her US season. Congratulations to both of these incredibly women on their performance and what they have done for the Deakin Melbourne Boomers.
Summary of Awards
Volunteer of the Year: Matthew Maiolo
Members’ Player of the Year: Cayla George
Linda Perry Award: Rachel Brewster
Coach’s Award: Mia Murray
Most Improved Player: Kristy Wallace
Deakin’s SENS High Performance Player of the Year: Tiffany Mitchell
Player’s Player of the Year: Mia Murray
Michele Timms Medal MVP: Cayla George & Tiffany Mitchell