With only seven competitors in this division, the Women’s Academic Coxed Four is likely to be a close race worth watching. Entries consist of crews from Oxford University Women’s BC, Liverpool University, Imperial College, two University College Oxford boats and two Southampton University crews.
Oxford University Women’s BC
With the potential to win the division, this Oxford University Women’s BC crew stands as the potential forerunner in this class. Stuart-Smith sets the standard for the Oxford crew, starting the year as part of the Spare Pair’s race at the 2021 Women’s Boat Race. Stuart-Smith’s crewmates also demonstrate a high level of ability, with Coomber have won a gold at Home International Regatta in both the Women’s Coxed Four and the Women’s Eight.
Southampton University
Another boat that hints at the potential to feature in this race is the Southampton ‘A’ crew. With Thornley participating in the GB Women’s Development Programme for 2020 and 2021, it’s clear that this boat may be of interest. However, the Southampton ‘B’ crew has also recently performed well, securing second place at Upper Thames Head in the Women’s Four Band Two. With this recent achievement behind them, Miller’s crew may very well be headed towards securing first place.
Prediction
With little to be found about the other crews in the division, it’s worthwhile turning to the results of 2019 in order to gain a little more insight into how this race may turn out. As Imperial claimed second place in the 2019 race, it would be naïve to overlook Imperial due to their strong Academic Fours past. In addition to Imperial, Liverpool University took fourth place in the 2019 Fours Head, making it interesting to see if they can meet, or even better, their previous standing. Overall, this division, albeit small, will definitely be interesting to watch to see who comes out on top.
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