Mason McGroder is an AFL and athletics (long jump) athlete, who was awarded a Tier 1 Scholarship within the 2025 Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship & Mentoring Program. He was paired with Olympic track and field athlete Jana Pittman as his Mentor.
Mason was born in Caringbah, Sydney in 2008. Mason grew up playing rugby league and oztag from a young age and had a passion for any sport he played. He took up athletics after his first primary school carnival, where he broke the record in the 100m race. Now, Mason is a track athlete as well as an AFL player who competes primarily as a jumper. With both sports taking up Mason’s time, he aspires to compete or play at the highest level possible, in either sport.
From a young age Mason has excelled at most sports he has played. Winning his first school race at eight years old and his first national gold at age ten. He then won all national titles he competed in from then onwards in the long jump, apart from 2023 where he had only 6 weeks to prepare for the event due to an injury. In athletics, Mason always did great in the jumps, being a state champion in all long, high and triple jump at some stage, and multiple time national champion in the long and triple. On the other hand, Mason had struggled but always tried to achieve this level on the track in the sprints, winning his first state track medal at age 12.
Mason would sometimes be annoyed that his level would not always translate into the sprints, however, he stuck at it, working his PBs down every season and eventually winning a national gold medal in the 400m in 2024, the first year he had picked up the event competitively. He only started this event early in the season as a way to stay fit for the AFL season, getting rid of the triple jump out of his event list to better suit the AFL. This has massively benefitted Mason not only in his footy, but also allowed him to be fit for his jumps.
In April of 2024, Mason jumped a PB of 7.73m at the National U20 championships, giving him a World Junior qualifier, a goal he had strived for all season. He was later announced on the team as the youngest member. Mason’s family and friends have high expectations for his future and are doing all they can to get the best out of him.
“It is a great honour and opportunity to be a successful SAHOF scholarship recipient. It means a lot to be put in the same category as a lot of other high achieving athlete especially those who are older and already finished their careers. I am excited to learn from Jana Pittman, whose success in sport and life I really admire. I can’t wait to begin learning from Jana’s experience and apply this insight to my own pursuits.” – Mason McGroder on being selected as 2025 Tier 1 Scholarship Holder
Honours & Achievements
- 2024: 3rd Men’s Long Jump, World Athletics U20 Championships, Lima, Peru – 7.80m
- 2024: 1st Senior Long Jump, National Athletics Championships 2024, Adelaide – 7.73m
- 2024: 1st Junior 400m, National Athletics Championships 2024, Adelaide – 49.38
- 2023: 2nd Junior Long Jump, National Athletics Championships 2023, Brisbane – 6.90m
Social Links | Instagram: mason.mcgroder
