With a number of big races around the corner, student crews around the country are returning to the water after the festive break. It has been a challenging head season so far with very little opportunity to race, however, that will soon change as the intensity of the season increases. In the past it has been very difficult to predict the outcomes of student women’s events due to new competition constantly emerging. This article is an attempt to predict, albeit with great difficulty, the strongest crews within student women’s rowing.
Oxford Brookes University BC
Coming off of the back of one of their strongest ever seasons, Oxford Brookes University BC will once more be looking to claim victory across a number of events. Their programme, under Women’s Chief Coach Hugo Gulliver, appears formidable and if they are to be challenged it will require immense effort on the part of their competition. For Oxford Brookes the priority, as is always the case with their programme, is consistency. Achieving victory event on event and year on year is both an ambitious and simultaneously reasonable objective.
Durham University BC
Durham University BC were the best of the rest in the previous season from a domestic perspective. When it came to challenging the supremacy of the Brookes programme it was Durham University who laid down the gauntlett in what was the most remarkable of seasons for student women’s rowing. Although a 2022-23 was a successful season including numerous medals contributing to their winning the women’s Victor Ludorum at BUCS, a BUCS gold in the Eight and a Henley Royal Regatta final alluded the girls in palatine. I can say with certainty that they will be looking to avenge the anguish at every opportunity, including BUCS Head and the Women’s Head of the River Race.
University of London BC
Having qualified two boats for the Island Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta last summer the University of London BC (UL) will be looking to seize any opportunity that might come their way. Having an immense depth of athletes, UL can challenge any club on their day and will certainly be in contention when it comes to the top three student women’s crews. Returning to home waters for the upcoming tideway head races, UL will be looking for a result that characterises a combination of experience and skill when combating the sheer strength of their competition.
Bath University BC
The most promising domestic sculling programme, Bath University BC will be looking to achieve success across all of the student events that they enter this coming season. Now a performance development academy, formerly known as GB Start, Coach Dan Harris will be looking to bring about a series of results that demonstrate the success of this new direction. The programme has a strong precedent for identifying those who might develop into high-level rowers and will surely do so once more. If they have managed to do this, I foresee that they will have too much for their nearest competition.
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