Bibby, Melissa

BORN MARCH 12TH, 1972, at Stawell in rural Victoria, she was an exchange student in Sports Science at the University of Alberta in Canada at age 25 and, on her return, helped establish the Timberwolves in the Victorian women's ice hockey league. She represented her state in the national championships in Canberra in 1999, winning Victoria's first McKowen Trophy and ending New South Wales' domination of the competition since inception in 1995. She was a member of the National Women's Team (NWT) for the Pool-B qualification tournament held in Szekesferhevar Hungary in 2000, and the Women's Worlds Division I Qualification in Maribor Slovenia in 2001. She also played in the Trans-Tasman series against New Zealand in Canterbury NZ in 2001. In 2002, she won a second McKowen as alternate captain of NSW and was named to the All-Star line. She injured an AC joint at the NWT selection camp and required surgery.

Back in Maribor in 2003, she won a IIHF Gold Medal at the Worlds and promotion to Division 2. Tournament MVP and points runner-up to Steph Boxall, she scored 5 goals in one game against Romania, which is still the Australian Women's World's record. She was again alternate Captain of NSW in the McKowen; again named to the All-Star line. In 2004, she trained at the Olympic Oval in Calgary for 5 months with some of Canada's elite, then competed in the Division 2 Worlds in Vipitino, Italy. In 2005, she played in the Division 3 Worlds in Cape Town South Africa; the 2008 Worlds in Vierumaki Finland; and the 2011 Worlds in Newcastle Australia. She won her third and fourth McKowen Trophy with New South Wales (2007,'08) then played for the Sydney Sirens in the AWIHL in 2009-10. In 2011, she won her fifth McKowen with Melbourne Ice, but injured an ACL in the final minutes requiring reconstruction. In 2012-13, she played for the Brisbane Goannas in the AWIHL, having represented all three eastern states.

In 1995, she was a Premiership player with the Navarre Netball A-Grade Team in Lexton League, winning equal Club Best & Fairest, and she was Coach and League Best & Fairest the next season. She won 2 Premierships with the Western Wolves Football Club in the NSW Women's AFL (2006, '08); she was runner-up in the premier division Grand Final with the Darebin Falcons in the VWFL in 2012; and a player for Melbourne University FC, in the same division (2013, '14). A Phys Ed teacher at Melton Secondary College (2016), she has been Strength and Conditioning Coach of the U18 National Women's Team (Word Championship Qualifiers); a committee member of the Victorian Womens Ice Hockey League (1999-2001); and a member of the AWIHL executive committee (2008-11). Alternate Captain of Australia from 2001 to 2004, she competed in 7 Women's Worlds and qualifiers, playing 33 games to equal the all-time Australian record for most games at that time.

Other sports

1995 Premiership player with the Navarre Netball A-Grade Team in Lexton League. Equal club best and fairest.
1996 League Best and Fairest, A-Grade Netball, Lexton League. Coach of the Navarre A-Grade Netball Team.
2000-2001 Fitness Advisor VFL Field umpiries Dept
2006 Premiership player, Western Wolves Football Club, Sydney Women's AFL
2008 Premiership player, Western Wolves Football Club, Sydney Women's AFL. Named Best on Ground
2012 VWFL with the Darebin Falcons, loosing in premier division Grand Final
2013 Assistant Coach, Junior Girls Fitzroy Junior Football Club
2013, 2014 Player at Melbourne University FC, VWFL, premier division