Grace Nweke
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Born | (2002-02-07) 7 February 2002 (age 22) Auckland, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||||
School | Avondale College, ACG Sunderland | ||||||||||||||||
University | University of Auckland | ||||||||||||||||
Netball career | |||||||||||||||||
Playing position(s): GS | |||||||||||||||||
Years | Club team(s) | Apps | |||||||||||||||
2019–present | Northern Mystics | ||||||||||||||||
2025–present | New South Wales Swifts | ||||||||||||||||
Years | National team(s) | Caps | |||||||||||||||
2021–present | New Zealand | 31 | |||||||||||||||
Medal record
|
Grace Nweke (born February 7, 2002) is a New Zealand netball international. She first competed for New Zealand in September 2021, becoming the first black woman to do so.
Early life
Grace Nweke was born in Auckland on 7 February 2002, to parents who emigrated to New Zealand from Nigeria. She has a twin brother and four other siblings. Her parents initially left Nigeria to go to South Korea, before settling in Auckland in the 1990s.[1] She attended ACG Sunderland from years 9 to 10 then transferred to Avondale College. At Avondale College she competed in high jump events as well as netball. Nweke is studying for a Bachelor of Commerce degree in information systems and marketing at the University of Auckland.[2][3]
Playing career
Northern Mystics
Nweke joined the Northern Mystics for the 2019 ANZ Premiership season, while she was still at school. Initially recruited to be a training partner she was rapidly promoted to being a full-time member of the Mystics squad. In 2021 she set a new ANZ Premiership scoring record, scoring 852 goals from 951 attempts and scoring 50 or more goals in 12 of the Mystics' 16 games. Her performances inevitably brought her to the attention of the national selectors, who selected her initially for the Under-21 side and then for the full 2021-22 New Zealand squad. Nweke missed four matches of the 2022 ANZ Premiership season due to an ankle injury; she was cleared to play the Grand Final but the Northern Mystics were defeated by the Northern Stars[4] Nweke was sidelined once again half way through the 2024 ANZ Premiership season with a knee injury. [5]
New Zealand
Despite her 2019 performance in the ANZ Premiership, Nweke was not selected for the 2019 Netball World Cup by Noeline Taurua, who cited fitness issues and her age.[6] Nweke made her national debut on 22 September 2021 against England in a 2021 Taini Jamison Trophy Series match but this ended in disappointment as the team lost 55-45.[7][8][9] In 2021 she was nominated at the Halberg Awards for the Emerging Talent Award but lost out to swimmer Erika Fairweather.[10] Nweke was selected for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and was noted as having a standout performance in the Bronze medal final against England, when New Zealand won 55-48.[11] Nweke's stellar performance was again followed up in the 2022 Constellation Cup against the Australian Diamonds having never come up against Australian players her shooting form was noted as being flawless, despite this, the Silver Ferns ended up losing the tournament 2-2 to the Australian Diamonds.[12] Nweke was selected for the 2023 Netball Quad Series in Cape Town and was the only player of the Silver Ferns team to play four full games, however the Silver Ferns lost to the Australian Diamonds in the final 56-50.[13] Further recognition and praise was gained when she won the best shooter and overall player of the series.[14] Nweke was selected for the 2023 Netball World Cup in Cape Town, [15] however she obtained a patella tear during a game against Singapore and was ruled out for the rest of the contest.[16][17] Nweke was cleared to play on managed time for the last two games of the 2023 Constellation Cup her game play was attributed to the Silver Ferns winning the last two games of the series. [18]
NSW Swifts
After the 2024 ANZ Premiership season had completed, Nweke was announced to play for the NSW Swifts for the 2025 Suncorp Super Netball season, making her still eligible for the Silver Ferns 2024 season but not the 2025. [19]
Honours
Personal Honours
At the 2022 Netball awards Nweke was awarded the Dame Lois Muir Supreme Award shared with fellow Silver Ferns player Kelly Jury, as well as the Silver Ferns Player of the Year . [20]
References
- ^ "Grace Nweke never thought becoming a Silver Fern would be possible". RNZ. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ^ "Grace Nweke could go from five weeks in lockdown to Silver Ferns debut". Stuff. 18 September 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
- ^ "Grace NWEKE". World Athletics. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
- ^ "Mystics goal shoot Grace Nweke fit to play in ANZ Premiership eli mination final". 7 June 2022.
- ^ "Stuff".
- ^ "'It's so precious to me': Silver Ferns' star Grace Nweke eager to visit Nigeria for first time". January 2023.
- ^ "Grace Nweke". ANZ Premiership. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
- ^ "Grace Nweke". Silver Ferns. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
- ^ "Silver Ferns v England: Grace Nweke's dream debut turns to disappointment". www.newshub.co.nz. 22 September 2021. Archived from the original on 11 October 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
- ^ "Halberg Awards | Sportzhub". 24 February 2022.
- ^ "Grace Nweke shines as Silver Ferns snare Commonwealth Games bronze". 7 August 2022.
- ^ "Perfect Grace Nweke drives Silver Ferns past Diamonds". 16 October 2022.
- ^ "Silver Ferns fade in second half to lose Quad Series decider to Australia". 26 January 2023.
- ^ "Australia retain Quad Series title and SA miss out on bronze".
- ^ "Silver Ferns announce squad for World Cup title defence". 23 June 2023.
- ^ "Injured Nweke ruled out of Netball World Cup". silverferns.co.nz. 31 July 2023. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ Egan, Brendon (31 July 2023). "Silver Ferns' star Grace Nweke to miss rest of World Cup with knee injury". stuff.co.nz. Stuff Limited. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ "The Post".
- ^ "Stuff".
- ^ "Winners • New Zealand Netball Awards 2021".
- v
- t
- e
- Imogen Ayris
- Geordie Beamish
- Connor Bell
- Portia Bing
- Nicole Bradley
- Lauren Bruce
- Jacko Gill
- Zoe Hobbs
- Hamish Kerr
- Olivia McTaggart
- Keeley O'Hagan
- Tori Peeters
- Julia Ratcliffe
- Quentin Rew
- Sam Tanner
- Tom Walsh
- Maddi Wesche
- Jayden Bezzant
- Tiarna Clarke
- Ella Fotu
- Jillian Harmon
- Dominique Kelman-Poto
- Nikau McCullough
- Kalani Purcell
- Tai Wynyard
- Brad Fuller
- Sam O'Dea
- Shaunna Polley
- Alice Zeimann
- Troy Garton
- Onyx Lye
- Uila Mau'u
- Alex Mukuka
- Ariane Nicholson
- Emile Richardson
- Wendell Stanley
- Erin Walsh
- Ellesse Andrews
- Shane Archbold
- Jack Bauer
- Patrick Bevin
- Bryony Botha
- Henrietta Christie
- Sam Dakin
- Michaela Drummond
- Niamh Fisher-Black
- Aaron Gate
- Sam Gaze
- Ella Harris
- Mikayla Harvey
- George Jackson
- Jordan Kerby
- Nick Kergozou
- Olivia King
- Bradly Knipe
- Ben Oliver
- Rebecca Petch
- Callum Saunders
- Tom Sexton
- Emily Shearman
- Dion Smith
- Campbell Stewart
- Corbin Strong
- Sam Webster
- Georgia Williams
- Nathan Brown
- Mikali Dawson
- Arno Lee
- Luke Sipkes
- Maggie Squire
- Liam Stone
- Frazer Tavener
- Paris Chin
- Ethan Dick
- Sam Dick
- William Fu-Allen
- Havana Hopman
- Mikhail Koudinov
- Jorden O'Connell-Inns
- David Brydon
- Kaitlin Cotter
- Anna Crowley
- Tarryn Davey
- Frances Davies
- Stephanie Dickins
- Katie Doar
- George Enersen
- Sean Findlay
- Aniwaka Haumaha
- Leon Hayward
- Sam Hiha
- Megan Hull
- Hugo Inglis
- Alia Jaques
- Tessa Jopp
- Sam Lane
- Tyler Lench
- Dane Lett
- Alexandra Lukin
- Olivia Merry
- Harry Miskimmin
- Joe Morrison
- Grace O'Hanlon
- Hayden Phillips
- Hope Ralph
- Brooke Roberts
- Kane Russell
- Aidan Sarikaya
- Olivia Shannon
- Jacob Smith
- Blair Tarrant
- Dylan Thomas
- Rose Tynan
- Nic Woods
- Simon Yorston
- Kody Andrews
- Sydnee Andrews
- Qona Christie
- Elliott Connolly
- Jason Koster
- Hayley Mackey
- Moira de Villiers
- Lynda Bennett
- Gerald Brouwers
- Tayla Bruce
- Sue Curran
- Ali Forsyth
- Mike Galloway
- Selina Goddard
- Tony Grantham
- Katelyn Inch
- Andrew Kelly
- Shannon McIlroy
- Mark Noble
- Graham Skellern
- Val Smith
- Nicole Toomey
- Pam Walker
- Gina Crampton
- Kate Heffernan
- Kayla Johnson
- Kelly Jury
- Phoenix Karaka
- Bailey Mes
- Grace Nweke
- Shannon Saunders
- Te Paea Selby-Rickit
- Whitney Souness
- Sulu Fitzpatrick
- Maia Wilson
- Michaela Blyde
- Kelly Brazier
- Leroy Carter
- Che Clark
- Dylan Collier
- Scott Curry
- Sam Dickson
- Theresa Fitzpatrick
- Stacey Fluhler
- Sarah Hirini
- Jazmin Hotham
- Shiray Kaka
- Moses Leo
- Ngarohi McGarvey-Black
- Sione Molia
- Tyla Nathan-Wong
- Tone Ng Shiu
- Risi Pouri-Lane
- Alena Saili
- Akuila Rokolisoa
- Caleb Tangitau
- Regan Ware
- Joe Webber
- Niall Williams
- Tenika Willison
- Portia Woodman
- Lewis Clareburt
- Erika Fairweather
- Helena Gasson
- Cameron Gray
- Andrew Jeffcoat
- Tupou Neiufi
- Hazel Ouwehand
- Sophie Pascoe
- Mya Rasmussen
- Jesse Reynolds
- Eve Thomas
- Joshua Willmer
- David Liti
- Emma McIntyre
- Cameron McTaggart
- Megan Signal
- Koale Junior Tasi Taala
- Vester Villalon
- Hayley Whiting
- Tayla Ford
- Cole Hawkins
- Michelle Montague
- Matthew Oxenham
- Brahm Richards
- Suraj Singh