Michaela Sokolich-Beatson

Last updated

Michaela Sokolich-Beatson
Personal information
Born (1996-10-02) 2 October 1996 (age 28)
Auckland, New Zealand
Height1.84 m (6 ft 12 in)
School Whangaparāoa College
Netball career
Playing position(s): GD, WD
YearsClub team(s)Apps
2016–present Northern Mystics 111
YearsNational team(s)Caps
2018, 2024–presentFlag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand 14
Last updated: 18 July 2025

Michaela Sokolich-Beatson (born 2 October 1996 in Auckland, New Zealand) is a New Zealand netball player. She plays for the Northern Mystics in the ANZ Premiership, having debuted in 2016. [1] [2]

Contents

Early life

Sokolich-Beatson grew up on the Hibiscus Coast and started playing netball as a Year 6 at Whangaparāoa Primary on a team coached by her mother. [2] She attended high school at Whangaparāoa College. [2] She was initially a shooter, before switching to defence in Year 12. [2] In 2014, Sokolich-Beatson was named in the New Zealand Secondary Schools' Netball Team. [3] [4]

Playing Career

Northern Mystics

Sokolich-Beatson started playing for Northern Mystics in 2016. In 2019, she captained Mystics for the first time when then-captain Phoenix Karaka was ruled out of a match with an injury. [5] Sokolich-Beatson missed the 2020 and 2021 ANZ Premiership seasons due to injury. [6] Since 2024 she has been captain of Mystics. [7] [8] Sokolich-Beatson played her 100th match for Mystics in the 2024 Elimination final against the Mainland Tactix, which Mystics won 68 – 64. [9] [10] Sokolich-Beatson won premierships with the Mystics in 2023 and 2024. [11] [12]

International

New Zealand Under-21

In 2018, she captained the New Zealand under-21 side to the Youth World Cup title in Botswana, where they beat Australia in the final. [2]

Fast5 Ferns

Sokolich-Beatson first played for the Fast5 Ferns at the 2023 Fast5 Netball World Series, where New Zealand finished second. Sokolich-Beatson was also the captain. [13] Sokolich-Beatson once-again captained the Fast5 Ferns at the 2024 Fast5 Netball World Series where New Zealand lost to Australia in the final for the second year in a row. [14] [15]

Silver Ferns

In 2018 was selected for the New Zealand national netball team, the Silver Ferns, to compete in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, where New Zealand finished fourth. [16] [17] She played 11 games for New Zealand in 2018 [6] She was also selected in the Silver Ferns travelling squad for the 2019 Netball World Cup as a potential injury replacement for defender Katrina Rore. [18] In January 2020, Sokolich-Beatson snapped her right achilles at a New Zealand training camp, and later that year snapped her left achilles at another training camp. [19] In 2023, Sokolich-Beatson was recalled into the national team for the 2024 Netball Nations Cup, where she played in her first Silver Ferns match since October 2018 in a match against Uganda. [6] [20] As of July 2025 she has played 14 matches for the Silver Ferns. [21]


References

  1. Michaela Sokolich-Beatson Archived 14 February 2019 at the Wayback Machine at Northern Mystics. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Egan, Brendon (16 February 2018). "Michaela Sokolich-Beatson provides glimpse into Silver Ferns' future". Stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 26 August 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  3. "Exciting Young Defender Secures Kia Magic Contract". netballmagic.co.nz. Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  4. "College Sport: No holding Michaela back". NZ Herald. 18 June 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  5. McFadden, Suzanne (3 October 2019). "Michaela Sokolich-Beatson: a leader in the making". Newsroom. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 Egan, Brendon. "Recalled Silver Fern Michaela Sokolich-Beatson's long road back to the top". Stuff. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  7. Anderson, Merryn (11 April 2024). "Is netball's top league tough enough?". Newsroom. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
  8. "Holding court: Meet the ANZ Premiership captains for 2025". The Post. 9 May 2025. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  9. "REIGNING CHAMPS THE MG MYSTICS EARN RIGHT TO DEFEND TITLE WITH ELIMINATION FINAL VICTORY OVER TRIDENT HOMES TACTIX". www.northernmystics.co.nz. Northern Mystics. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  10. Tunnicliffe, Bridgit (27 July 2024). "Netball: Mystics through to ANZ Premiership final with win over Tactix". RNZ. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
  11. "Mystics win 2023 ANZ Premiership title". sunlive.co.nz. SunLive. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  12. McFadden, Suzanne (4 August 2024). "Mystics defend national title by thinnest margin". Newsroom. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  13. McFadden, Suzanne (12 November 2023). "Captain's astonishing return to the Fern". Newsroom. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  14. "Sokolich-Beatson named as FAST5 Ferns captain". Netball NZ. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  15. Tunnicliffe, Bridget (12 November 2024). "Fast5 could find home outside of traditional netball markets". RNZ. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  16. Michaela Sokolich-Beatson Archived 21 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine at Silver Ferns. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  17. Michaela Sokolich-Beatson Archived 25 January 2022 at the Wayback Machine at GC2018 Commonwealth Games. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  18. "Michaela Sokolich-Beatson to travel with Silver Ferns as Katrina Rore recovers from injury". New Zealand Herald. 2 July 2019. Archived from the original on 11 July 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  19. "Pure As: Michaela Sokolich-Beatson". newsroom.co.nz. Newsroom. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  20. Tunnicliffe, Bridget (22 January 2024). "Silver Ferns edge gritty Uganda". RNZ. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  21. "Michaela Sokolich-Beatson". silverferns.co.nz/. Silver Ferns. Retrieved 18 July 2025.