Netballers Caitlin Lafaele, Priscilla Rasmussen and Grace Tiko have been included in the 2024 cohort of Tania Dalton Foundation Scholarship Programme recipients.
The class of 2024 includes athletes from across six different regions and thirteen sports codes including the first triathlete.
Launched in 2018 the Scholarship Programme provides a unique three-year financial scholarship to young sports women to assist them in their high-performance journey. From next year 87 young women will be participating in or have graduated from the programme.
“Our scholarship recipients shine in their chosen sport but getting to and remaining at the high-performance level for some can come with additional challenges due to family, education or work commitments,” said TDF Chair Duane Dalton.
The bespoke four-pillar programme is based around financial support, mentoring, personal development and paying it forward.
The new scholarship recipients were inducted into the programme at a special ceremony at Mediaworks in Auckland on the 5 December where they were welcomed into the foundation by the graduating 2021 cohort year.
2024 Scholarship Recipients for Netball
Caitlin Lafaele
Caitlin is currently in Year 13 at St Mary’s College in Wellington. Her chosen sport is netball. This year she was part of the NZ Secondary Schools Central Manawa squad which won the National Champs and was part of the Under 18 Wellington Netball team which won the Netball NZ U18 Champs. She has been selected for the NZ U21 Squad.
Priscilla Rasmussen
Priscilla is currently in Year 12 at Avondale College in Auckland and her chosen sport is netball. She is currently in the Marvels National Netball League team 2023 and the 2023 NZ Secondary Schools team. She has recently been named in the U21 NZ Squad.
Grace Tiko
Grace is currently in Year 11 at Cromwell College in Central Otago and her chosen sport is netball. This year she was selected to be part of the NZ Secondary Schools team and attended the 2023 National Development Camp. She was also selected for Steel Steps Accelerator Programme.
About The Tania Dalton Foundation
The Tania Dalton Foundation, created in honour of the sporting legend whose presence would fill the room, was established in 2018 to make a meaningful impact on the lives of budding young New Zealanders, guiding them to lead their biggest life - as Tania did.
The Foundation supports young New Zealanders, from all circumstances and stages of development, to unlock their talent and their best selves. The goal is to engage with thousands of young New Zealanders across the country through a range of programmes aimed at making a positive and measurable impact on the youth of New Zealand.
These include the Tania Dalton Foundation Scholarship programme which supports young women at the start of their high-performance journey and Pass it Forward which delivers free sports equipment to schools and communities in need.