2 Sept 2025: Illawarra Academy of Sport Media Release from Joel Martelli at the IAS
Snowboard cross athlete Marci Davis-Cook was the star of the show at the Illawarra Academy of Sport 40th Anniversary & 2025 Athlete Awards Night as she claimed the prestigious DRB Group Tobin Family Athlete of the Year Award.
The event was a star-studded night as the Illawarra Academy of Sport celebrated their 40-year history with nearly 300 guests in attendance, including Australia’s greatest Olympian and IAS alumni athlete Emma McKeon AM and fellow Olympians and IAS alumni Kieran Govers, Ryan Gregson, and one of Australia’s greatest ever cyclists Brad McGee OAM.
Davis-Cook joins the likes of previous winners McKeon AM, Sally Fitzgibbons, Govers, Gregson, Sarah Carli and Kieran Woolley in etching her name into Illawarra sporting folklore.
Davis-Cook edged out some quality competition to claim the honour, including surfing young gun Lucy Darragh and rising hockey star Justin Murray.
The DRB Group Tobin Family Athlete of the Year Award recognises an individual who has shown outstanding sporting achievements, personal growth, and an unwavering commitment to excellence both on and off the sporting arena.
Thanks to the generosity of the DRB Group, Davis-Cook will receive $10,000 to be used to support her future training and snowboard cross career.
Following her selection in 2024, 18-year-old Davis-Cook was again the youngest female selected to represent Australia at the Junior World Championships in snowboard cross, placing 11th in the world.
The snowboard sensation is currently ranked 6th in the world in her age division following some remarkable results at the recent Australia New Zealand Continental Cup where she competed against athletes from Australia, Korea, Japan, USA, Hungary and Romania.
Away from the snow, Davis-Cook has volunteered across a number of areas including the Disability Trust, the Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal and the Disabled Surfers Association. As school captain at The Illawarra Grammar School, she is currently balancing her leadership commitments as she prepares for the HSC, while continuing to train hard with her goal to compete at the 2030 Winter Olympics in France.
“The Illawarra Academy of Sport is where it all began for me,” Davis-Cook said after winning the prestigious award.
“I’m humbled to be named the Athlete of the Year for 2025, joining previous winners including some of Australia’s greatest ever sportspeople such as swimmer Emma McKeon AM, hockey player Kieran Govers and surfer Sally Fitzgibbons. They are what young athletes aspire to become and I aim to join them representing Australia at the Olympic level in the not too distant future.
“We are privileged in the Illawarra to have so many individuals and businesses supporting local athletes like myself. I would like to congratulate the IAS for all the work they’ve done over the past 40 years to make our region the breeding ground of such a large number of sporting icons.”
The DRB Group Tobin Family Athlete of the Year Award is named in honour of one of the Illawarra Academy of Sport’s founding members Ted Tobin OAM and recognises the contribution over many years made by the Tobin Family to sport in the Illawarra and specifically the IAS.
Ian Tobin, son of the late Ted Tobin OAM, said his father was committed to ensuring opportunities existed for young athletes across the Illawarra to excel and grow as members of our communities.
“Dad firmly believed that sport had the ability to shape young people in ways that would lay the foundation for success, both in a sporting sense and more importantly on a personal level,” Tobin said.
“Dad dedicated so much of his life, across the broader region, to ensuring sport was well participated in, well administered, properly funded and supported by quality infrastructure. His passion for sport was immense.
“For the DRB Group Athlete of the Year Award to carry our family name is something we all cherish. It provides us with a level of pride that is difficult to describe.
“The Illawarra Academy of Sport is a wonderful organisation that the communities of the Illawarra, Tablelands and South Coast should be extremely proud of. Dad would be so happy that in its 40th year the Academy continues to do such an excellent job in guiding and nurturing the athletes from our region that are fortunate enough to be engaged in its programs."
Michael Banks, DRB Group Managing Director, said the company was honoured to continue their partnership with the Illawarra Academy of Sport.
“Our close connection with the Tobin family makes this award especially meaningful. Uncle Ted was passionate about the Academy and dedicated to providing young people from all backgrounds with opportunities to develop their sporting talents. Now entering its 40th year, he would be proud of the Academy and the athletes it has supported,” Banks said.
“For DRB, were also proud to be investing in our community’s future and its rising stars. We hope the award benefits Marci in her sporting future and that we can support many more athletes in the years to come.”
In the night’s other major awards, tennis athlete Zac Richter won the DRB Group Athlete Leadership Award and BMX athlete Rojan Fernandez won the BaiMed Commitment to Excellence Award.
Other athlete of the year winners on the night included Jack Gibson (pars sports), Riley Saville (basketball), Lucy Allen (road/track cycling), Isaac Baez (BMX), Ethan Aleckson (mountain bike), Sage Laird (golf), Justin Murray (hockey), Izzy Christian (netball), Lily Martin (netball umpire), Ginger Siasat (rugby 7’s), Jake Barritt (triathlon) and Lewis Ebdon (volleyball), while triathlon coach Ben Bell won the Coach of the Year Award.
