An U23 world champion, some quick sweepers and a sculler trying something different headline the women’s U23 pairs at this year’s Small Boats Regatta. Some new combinations make this one of the more fascinating events of the day.
Sydney Rowing Club
That U23 world champion is Sydney’s Isabella Scammell, who took gold as part of the women’s coxed four in Varese in 2022. Scammell also won bronze in the four at last year’s U23 World Rowing Championships in Canada. She’s partnered with Sofia Zamprogno, with the two yet to race this summer as a crew. Scammell has collated some strong results recently, picking up gold in the women’s open eights at December’s Reindeer Regatta.
Freya Neville and Lila Anderton were also in that winning eight. They had some good pace throughout the NSW time trials in late 2024, albeit with other partners. They’ll expect to medal, but how the two gel under race conditions will determine whether they go home with gold.
The most intriguing Sydney pairing are Remy McKay and Laura Sypher. McKay has some strong sweep credentials, partnering with Anderton in last year’s time trials and consistently ranking near the top of the prognostics. Sypher is better known as a sculler, though, medalling in the U23 lightweight single, double and quad sculls at the 2024 Australian Rowing Championships. She also won gold as part of the New South Wales lightweight quad in the interstate regatta – can she take that form into the pair?
Sydney University
Just the one Sydney University crew in this year’s event, and they’ll be looking to stop a Sydney sweep. Olivia Nattey and Tiffany Botha won this event at December’s Reindeer Regatta, and have experience rowing together in last year’s time trials. They were competitive at those time trials, and that experience rowing together may tip them into the medals on Saturday.
Composite crews
The first composite sees Sydney’s Talisa Knoke-Driver and Sydney University’s Stefanie Preller combine. Despite rowing for two of the biggest rivals in New South Wales, the two combined well at the last time trial.
UTS Haberfield’s April Draney came back from the recent Taree Summer Regatta with golds in the U23 pair and A grade four and quad. She’s rowing with Adelaide Rowing Club’s Georgina Taeger, who rowed in South Australia’s Queen’s Cup crew in 2024.
Prediction
This is a genuinely tricky event to predict, given most crews are untested in racing conditions. Despite this, we’re tipping Sydney’s Neville and Anderton to take gold ahead of Sydney University’s Nattey and Botha, with Zamprogno and Scammell third.
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