The awards night, held at Moama Bowling Club on Thursday evening, February 19, saw Olivia Cartwright claim the Senior Sportstar of the Year honours, while Cody Walker was deemed Junior Sportstar of the Year.
Senior Sportstar Cartwright was recognised for a stellar year on the bowling greens, highlighted by a runner-up finish in the women’s singles at the Bowls Australian Open, the country’s premier annual event.
Cartwright also claimed silver in the fours, won the Victorian Indoor Championship, and reached a career best world ranking of second in November 2025.
“You trust in yourself that you've had a really good year and things like that, but I'm a humble athlete, so this is just another humbling award and so it’s a privilege to receive it,” she said.
Junior Sportstar Cody Walker is set to be a marquee member of the 2026 AFL Draft class after a starring season of football in 2025.
Walker was one of only three bottom-age prospects selected by Victoria Country for the under-18 national championships, and on AFL Grand Final day, claimed the Futures medal for best on ground in the futures showcase game at the MCG.
The Spirit of Sport winner was Echuca Moama Cycling Club president Matthew Dobeli, who was recognised for years of service to the club and promoting the sport of cycling.
Navigating the complex cycling scene, Dobeli puts in a mammoth effort managing road permits and traffic management to ensure the club can race on a variety of courses through most weeks of the year.
“It's a bit of a buzz to be nominated and a bit of a buzz to win something sporting when you're not a great sportsman yourself,” Dobeli said.
Rushworth’s top grade bosses shared the Coach of the Year honours after two mirrored seasons in 2025.
Both Mark Wheatley and Sheree Starling led their respective football and netball sides to resurgent seasons after a difficult 2024.
Rushworth didn’t field a senior football side at all in 2023 and earned only five wins in 2024, but under Wheatley not only did the club post a 9-7 record in the Kyabram District League, it also rose from sixth position to reach the preliminary final.
“The club was dead and buried almost and on the canvas, knocked out, and to rise from the ashes so to speak and to put something like this together is one of the highlights of my life really,” Wheatley said.
The A-grade netball turnaround was just as stark, the Tigers going from a winless 2024 to a 12-4 2025 under Starling’s leadership, the side also reaching the preliminary final.
“Our goal was to make finals, but at the end of the day, it wasn't so much to win games, it was to help build it back up, we could lose games and still build,” Starling said.
“It just worked out better than I ever could have expected, really.
2025’s Team/Club of the Year was awarded to the Moama Steamers bowls squad after a litany of titles and top performances across all levels.
The Steamers successfully defended their Bendigo Campaspe Goldfields Premier League championship, going on to claim the weekend state pennant, the highest honour a domestic bowls side can achieve.
Also on the night, an all-star panel of special guests entertained nominees and spectators with a discussion of sport at the highest level.
Zimbabwean international cricketer Regis Chakabva, AFL footballer Marty Hore, Olympic snowboarder Joh Lyle and long-distance runner and coach Brady Threlfall shared their expertise after competing domestically and internationally at some of the world’s biggest sporting events.
The Echuca Moama Sportstar awards, sponsored by Echuca Travel Centre, the Moama Bowling Club and the Riverine Herald, have been celebrating the region’s top sporting achievements since 1987.
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