From campus to the world stage

Student athlete, Australia Rugby 7s rising star Mackenzie Davis, lives out of a suitcase but wouldn’t have it any other way.

Exhausted and just a little disoriented, Mackenzie Davis unpacked her rugby kit, adjusted to a new time zone and toddled off to Australian Catholic University’s (ACU) North Sydney Campus for an afternoon of classes.

Playing for the world champion Australian women’s Rugby 7s team in destinations like Vancouver, Perth, Cape Town, Dubai and, on this occasion Hong Kong, is a dream.

But the world doesn’t wait for you to catch up when your international flight lands at 9am and university beckons.

“There's times I'm cramming in uni between training, or at the airport,” Mackenzie said.

“But I like that. I knew what I was signing up for and once you're into a rhythm it's ok.”

Balancing her time between rugby, academic, family and social commitments is a constant challenge for Mackenzie who is an Elite Athlete and Performer Program member at ACU.

At times the struggle is real. 

She’s out the door at 6am and not back home until 8pm. There could be 12 different outfits, rugby boots and a laptop in the back seat.

“But sometimes it helps having uni to take my mind off training and vice versa,” she said.

“EAPP really helps with juggling assessments. They understand the schedule and the responsibilities. I couldn't do what I do without EAPP.”

Connection

A deep connection to her Aboriginal heritage has been a powerful driver.

Mackenzie grew up in Sydney but has a strong connection via her mother Tina with the Dunghutti nation on the New South Wales mid-north coast.

That sense of belonging helped her to “connect with mob through sport” where she excelled as a junior touch football player.

During her HSC year a busy Mackenzie rejected an approach to play 7s. But when a second offer came from National Talent Pathway Manager Lachlan Parkinson to join the program, she couldn’t refuse.

Her rise in the sport has been a dizzying one.

Mackenzie played for Australia at the Youth Commonwealth Games, made her senior international debut at Cape Town in 2024 and won the Junior Women's Player of the Year at the 2025 Rugby Australia Awards.

Next came her recognition as Unisport Australia’s 2025 winner of the Most Outstanding Performance by an Indigenous Student-Athlete.

As the national team commences its run towards the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, Mackenzie is once again abroad, playing professionally for Nagato Blue Angels in the 12-team Taiyo Seimei Women’s Sevens Series in Japan.

“Sometimes I still feel out of my depth,” she said. 

“I'll be standing next to a Madi Levi and feel shocked to be surrounded by people like that. 

“They're incredible, strong, fit, powerful athletes.  But that only pushed me to be better.”

Body and mind

Now in the second year of a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy degree, Mackenzie is following in the footsteps of ACU alum, Rugby 7s Olympic gold medallist and NRLW Dally M Medal winner Emma Verran.

University study is a welcome distraction from the pressure of elite rugby and she is excited by the possibilities of where the course might lead.

Exposure to the discipline came via junior coaches who first planted the seed of a health career.

“I didn't understand then as much as I do now about what OT looked like,” Mackenzie said.

“But I've got a lot of friends now who work in paediatrics and hand therapy. 

“A few years ago, I wouldn't have seen myself working in a hospital but now I know what an impactful career it is.”

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