Sydney University Boat Club (SUBC) along with Sydney University Women’s Rowing Club (SUWRC) competing together as Sydney University, had an extremely impressive National Championships campaign, with a number of medals across all ages and boat classes.
Notable medals in the small boats came from SUBC’s Tom Whitehead and Campbell Watts winning gold in the U21 men’s pair, Jacob Bicknell claiming silver in the U21 men’s single, Andrew Judge and Jack Cook claiming bronze in the men’s U21 pair, and SUWRC’s Loren Parsons claiming bronze in the women’s U21 single. These excellent small boat performances along with Alex Purnell narrowly missing a medal, will place the young athletes of the club in a good position to receive invites to trial for the under age Australian Rowing teams.
The club is well known for producing good crew combinations and showed this with numerous medium crew boat medals including SUWRC’s U23 lightweight and U23 heavyweight doubles claiming bronze. SUBC’s Alex Purnell combined with Chris Hayes (WA) to claim the silver in the U23 Double. Jack Hanley won gold in the open lightweight men’s double. In the open heavyweight men’s double SUBC’s Sasha Belonogoff and Cam Girdlestone won an impressive gold, with Hamish Playfair claiming the silver. Other medium boat medals included silver in the men’s open coxed four and silver in the men’s open coxless four.
SUBC is also commonly known in the world of rowing as ‘The Home of Rowing’. This name to many is associated with the proud history and passion the club has in big boats, mainly the eight. The club held true to its name with its U23 men’s eight winning its fourth straight gold, and doing so whilst being the only full club crew on the podium. The men’s open quad also showed great club spirit claiming silver behind a composite of past and present national team members. SUWRC similarly showed great success in the bigger crew boats, with Emma Thomas joining a Queensland composite to win gold in the U23 women’s lightweight quad. A full club crew from SUWRC also claimed silver in the U21 women’s quad.
The final day of the National Championships saw a number of Sydney University athletes competing for New South Wales, including 5 rowers and the cox of the Kings Cup (men’s open eight), one rower in the Queens Cup (women’s open eight), five members of the winning Noel F Wilkinson Cup crew (men’s youth eight) and the winning sculler for NSW in the President’s Cup. The winning NSW representatives for SUBC were Campbell Watts, Jack Cook, Jacob Bicknell, Tom Whitehead and Alex Purnell in the youth eight and Sash Belonogoff in the single. Sydney University also had current member Sally Kehoe compete in the Queensland Queens Cup crew, and past member Jeremy Stevenson competing in the Western Australian Kings Cup Crew.
Gold
U21 Men’s Pair: Tom Whitehead, Campbell Watts
Men’s Double: Sasha Belonogoff, Cam Girdlestone
U23 Men’s Eight: William Raven, Nick Wheatley, Campbell Watts, Jacob Bicknell, Jack Hargreaves, Alex Purnell, Tom Whitehead, Jack Cook, Andrew Judge
Lightweight Men’s Double: Jack Hanley
U23 Women’s Lightweight Quad: Emma Thomas
Silver
U21 Men’s Single: Jacob Bicknell
U23 Men’s Double: Alex Purnell
Men’s Double: Hamish Playfair
Men’s Coxed Four: Toby Lister, Fergus Prgnell, Tobias Wehr-Candler, Nicholas Purnell, Matt Ryan
Men’s Coxless Four: Jack Hargreaves, Fergus Pragnell, Kit Cunningham-Reid
Men’s Quad: Sasha Belonogoff, Cam Girdlestone, Hamish Playfair, Kit Cunningham-Reid
U21 Women’s Quad: Carina Simpson, Loren Parsons, Georgia Campbell, Laura Triggs
Bronze
U21 Men’s Pair: Andrew Judge, Jack Cook
U21 Women’s Single: Loren Parsons
U23 Lightweight Double: Emma Thomas, Bec Humphris
U23 Women’s Double: Fiona Ewing, Candice Williams
