Lachlan Archibald will don the green and gold next year when he tours Malaysia with the under-21 Australian squad.
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The 18-year-old Year 12 student from Girton Grammar has represented central Victoria in the Junior Hockey Championships and has played school hockey since 2014.
After a top performance at the Senior Men's Country Championships in Melbourne earlier this year where the team secured the gold medal, Archibald was selected to represent Australia.
"I hope to go to university next year, but I will continue to nurture my sporting passions and am very excited about touring Malaysia next year in the green and gold," he said.
"I am leaving school with mixed emotions. I've had a wonderful time at Girton but am also really looking forward to taking my sport to the next level."
In addition to his call-up for national hockey duties, Archibald was also named as the winner of the inaugural 2019 Caitlin Thwaites Award.
The award is named after Australian netball champion and former Girton student Thwaites and is given to an individual who displays exceptional sportsmanship, leadership and integrity on and off the field.
"I am so thrilled to have received the Caitlin Thwaites Award this year because I know the calibre of winner who has gone before me, including Caitlin herself, who was the first person to receive this award when it was known as the Pierre de Coubertin Award," Archibald said.
"Caitlin has been to the Commonwealth Games playing netball and has represented Australia many times in different competitions, and I hope that I might be on a similar path."
In addition to hockey, Archibald is an all-round sportsman with experience across a range of codes.
"I love sport and have been involved in several sports over the years including athletics, swimming, cricket, futsal, soccer and Australian rules football," he said.
"I am lucky enough to have represented Girton in all of these sports as well as playing for various clubs."
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