Young Fern Milly Clegg has been named the Young Sportswoman of the Year at the College Sport Auckland annual awards.
The award was presented to her at a function attended by 600 at Auckland’s Eden Park.
Clegg (17) won the accolade following her rapid ascent in the football ranks, playing for her Mt Albert Grammar School first XI and earning selection for the New Zealand U-17 and U-20 teams.
In August, as a 16-year-old, Clegg became the youngest member in the New Zealand squad at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica.
She was the only New Zealander to score at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in India, where she found the net against Germany and Chile.
To cap her outstanding year, Clegg has become the youngest player to sign with the Wellington Phoenix women’s A-League squad.
During the winter season, she played for Auckland United in the Lotto NRFL Women’s Premier League.
Main photo: Milly Clegg at the U-20 World Cup in Costa Rica.
Past winners of the award include three Ferns
The College Sport Auckland awards have been held since 1991.
Previous winners of the award include Football Ferns Annalie Longo (Epsom Girls Grammar, 2007), Anna Green (Epsom Girls Grammar, 2008) and Hannah Blake (St Kentigern, 2018).
Other past winners of the award include Beatrice Faumuina (athletics), Emily Drumm (cricket), Sarah Ulmer (cycling), Valerie Adams (athletics), Lydia Ko (golf) and Eliza McCartney (athletics).
Birkenhead’s O’Leary takes out football award
At the same awards function, Birkenhead United had three players who were all nominated for best college footballer.
Everton O’Leary, James Mitchell and Finn McKenlay were nominated but Rosmini College’s O’Leary took the award.
O’Leary was a member of the New Zealand side that won the OFC U-19 Championships in Tahiti.
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