Sydney University Boat Club’s 64 representatives at the National Rowing Championships, held at Sydney International Regatta Centre from 25-31 March, produced some stunning results.
The NSW men’s and women’s blue-riband eights were littered with SUBC members, with the men bringing home the King’s Cup in the centenary of the event and the women making it a double by winning the Queen’s Cup.
NSW started well in the King’s Cup and held a slight lead over Victoria at the halfway mark. Coxswain Kendall Brodie then call on the crew to lift their rate and they duly broke away from the pack to lead by four seconds with 500m to go.
The Victorians lifted towards the line by NSW held on to their advantage to win in 5:46.09 from Victoria, with South Australia claiming the bronze medal.
The Queen’s Cup was one of the most exciting races of the regatta. NSW reclaimed the crown to end Victoria’s 14-year winning streak. The winners led from the outset but only held a one second advantage from Victoria with 500m to go. Both crews lifted their rate, with NSW holding on to win by 0.62sec, with Western Australia claiming the bronze.
One of the other highlights of the regatta came from SUBC’s Genevieve Horton, who broke a 20-year drought for NSW in winning the Nell Slater Single Scull. Rowing into a tough headwind, Horton clocked in at 8.00.10, ahead of clubmate Rowena Meredith. SUBC’s Fiona Ewing was a close fourth.
After the week of competition, Sydney University sat a comfortable first place on the medals table with 23.75 (13.5 gold, 7.25 silver and 3 bronze), ahead of Sydney, Toowong and Melbourne University.
Results
King’s Cup: NSW 1: Angus Moore, Jack O’Brien, Spencer Turrin, Alex Purnell, Nicholas Purnell, Hamish Playfair, Jack Hargreaves, Robert Black, Cox: Kendall Brodie
Queen’s Cup: NSW 1: Rowena Meredith, Fiona Ewing, Harriet Hudson, Genevieve Horton, Georgia Rowe, Leah Saunders, Georgina Gotch, Emma Fessey, Cox: Talia Barnet-Hepples
Open Women’s Single Scull: Genevieve Horton 1, Rowena Meredith 2. Fiona Ewing 4.
Open Women’s Double Scull: Genevieve Horton, Molly Goodman (Adel) 2
Open Women’s Coxless Pair: Georgina Gotch, Bronwyn Cox (UWABC) 1
Open Lightweight Women’s Quadruple Scull: 1
Under 23 Women’s Coxless Pair: Dyone Bettega and Tara Rigney 1.
Under 21 Women’s Single Scull: Raquel Cuevas 3
Under 21 Women’s Coxed Four: Portia Gaitskell, Danielle Stuart, Jaime Ford, Raquel Cuevas, Cox: Tailia Barnet-Hepples 1
Under 19 Women’s Double Scull: Ruby O’Keefe, Sophie Houston 1
Under 19 Women’s Coxless Pair: Danielle Stuart, Sophie Houston 2
Under 19 Women’s Coxed Eight: Ellen Houston (Queenswood), Sophie Feely (Q), Danielle Stuart, Lauren Smits (Q), Alexandra Nell (Q), Ingrid Holtheuer (Q), Oliva O’Donnell (Q), Cox: Kira Osterdal (Q)1
Club Women’s Coxless Four: Portia Gaitskell, Sophie Houston, Danielle Stuart, Sarah Parsons 1
Club Women’s Coxed Eight: Olina Parrish Lucy Coleman, Portia Gaitskell, Ellie Clubb, Rachel Balcomb, Ella Mentsines, Jessie Allen, Sarah Parsons, Cox: Talia Barnet-Hepples 2
Open Men’s Single Scull: Nick Purnell 3
Open Men’s Double Scull: Caleb Antill (ANU), Leon Chambers2
Open Men’s Quadruple Scull: Leon Chambers, David Bartholot, Caleb Antill (ANU), Cameron Girdlestone 1
Open Men’s Coxless Four: Jack Hargreaves, Jack O’Brien, Nicholas Purnell, Alex Purnell 1
Under 23 Men’s Pair: Will O’ Shannessy and Marcus Britt 1.
Under 23 Men’s Coxless Four: Marcus Britt, Morgan Brooking, Lachlan Miles, Will O’Shannessy 2
Under 23 Men’s Coxed Eight: Marcus Britt, Devlin Walsh, Jordan Duff, Kieran Riach, Lachlan Miles, Morgan Brooking, Leon Chambers, Will O’Shannessy, Cox: Danielle Pettit 2
Under 21 Men’s Single Scull: Jordan Duff 3
PR3 Men’s Single Scull: 1
PR3 Men’s Coxless Pair: Ben Gibson (SRC), James Talbot1
PR3 Men’s Coxed Four: 1
