The talent within British student rowing is deep and has been gaining more traction as the years go on. These are the teams and crews we think will have the best showing looking forward to the 24/25 season.
Hartpury University Boat Club – Ellie Dash
A relative unknown in the student rowing community, Ellie Dash burst onto the scene at her first BUCS Regatta, winning the intermediate double sculls, which came after claiming silver in the intermediate single the previous day. On top of this, Ellie went on a hot streak post BUCS, winning the Metropolitan regatta in the women’s double, the aspirational double sculls at Henley Women’s Regatta and topping the season off with a senior Home International Regatta vest for England in the double and quad, winning both. Dash is not just a performer on the water however; she set an impressive summer 2k time, breaking the 6:55 barrier. With her home club Hartpury acting as a prominent figure within the British Rowing Performance Development Academy, Ellie will be one to watch in 2025.
Reading University Boat Club Men’s Squad
After an incredibly successful BUCS Regatta campaign – where they claimed five gold medals (Int1x, Ch1x, Ch2x, Int4x, Ch4x) and five minor medals in the sculling events – Reading University men’s squad went on to be knocked out of The Prince of Wales Challenge Cup on Friday by eventual finalists from Skoll. Having retained three from four of their ‘A’ quad – one of which is Matt Long, GB April U23 & senior trials winner and stroke of this summer’s U23 double scull – they will be sure to build on their form in the coming months in an attempt to vie for red boxes next summer. I think there is more to come for this richly-talented group, whose collective decision to becoming an exclusive sculling centre looks to be paying dividends.
Oxford University Boat Club Men’s Squad
With the Olympic year drawing firmly to a close, the men of Oxford University have received an injection of talent throughout their athlete and coaching team. On the athlete’s side, Tokyo gold medalist and New Zealand’s representative in the single scull in Paris, Tom Mackintosh, joins as President alongside Nicholas Kohl, the stroke seat of Italy’s Olympic coxless four which finished fourth on the Vaires-sur-Marne course, and Nick Rusher, who won bronze as part of the USA men’s eight in France. The coaching staff have experienced extensive turnover too, with new head coach Mark Fangen-Hall bringing with him a rich history of talented crews at Eton College. He is joined by newly-minted Olympic gold medallist Harry Brightmore, a true bastion of the sport and seven-time world podium placer in the GB men’s eight. The addition of talent to the roster at Oxford will be sure to boost their performance and confidence going into the new season and they’ll be hoping to turn a tide that has seen Cambridge emerge triumphant in all but one of the previous six Boat Races.
Oxford Brookes University Boat Club Women’s Squad
Death, taxes, and the women of Oxford Brookes punching above their weight are the three certainties in today’s society. After another double win at Henley Women’s Regatta – the second successive year they’ve managed the feat – this group of women went on to win both The Island and Remenham Challenge Cups at Henley Royal Regatta. Four athletes and head coach Chris Tebb topped off the season by representing Team GB at the U23 world championships, with all four becoming world champions. The Brookes women’s squad has been steadily building over the last five years, taking three of the four student women’s eight Trophies at Henley Royal Regatta. Brookes are looking for total domination of the student rowing circuit throughout the UK, and I see no reason they will not continue their success into the future.
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