Cambridge University Boat Club returns to the Head of the Charles Regatta from 16-18 October 2026 with one of its strongest contingents in recent years, matching its significant 2025 presence on the Charles River in Boston, Massachusetts. Fielding six crews across Championship Eights and Lightweight Fours, the Club combines exciting new talent with experienced returners as it begins another season of international competition.
Among the entries, the Men’s Championship Eight ‘A’ crew will attract particular attention as it bids for a third consecutive title, having claimed victory in both 2024 and 2025. With just two members returning from last year’s winning boat, men’s president Simon Hatcher and cox Sammy Houdaigui, the crew enters a fiercely competitive field bolstered by new talent. The race will provide the squad’s first major test of the season.
Reflected newcomer Henry Blackwell, ‘The successes of the CUBC Men on the last two trips to Boston has spurred on and inspired the many newcomers that make up the heavyweight eights and lightweight four. The Men’s squad is looking to retain the Championship Eights title at the Head of the Charles for the third year running. With few sessions remaining, all of the team is honing in their preparation to be able to bring the intensity required against top US programs and the international stage.’
The Women’s Championship Eight ‘A’ also showcases the next wave of Cambridge rowing talent. Returning Blues Isobel Campbell and Mia Freischem are joined by seven new faces as they take on one of the most competitive events of the regatta.
‘The Cambridge Women’s squad is looking forward to getting back out on the Charles for the first race of the season,’ shared Women’s Assistant coach Matilda Horn. ‘The team has an exciting mix of returners and newcomers with a wealth of rowing experiences. The Championship Eights and Lightweight Four are mostly looking forward to representing how the whole squad have formed strong unity in a short period of time. They are currently making the most of every session before hitting the river running!’
Women’s president Eloise Etherington added, ‘The women’s crews are excited for the opportunity to race at Head of the Charles and to put down a strong marker early in the season. With athletes from many different programmes and countries, we’ve spent the last month coming together to define our pattern and racecraft against what, I’m sure, will be an incredibly strong field.’
Alongside the ‘A’ crews, Cambridge will enter Men’s and Women’s Championship Eight ‘B’ crews, demonstrating the depth of talent across the squad and the strength of the Club’s athlete development pathway.
For only the second time in many years, Cambridge will also field two Lightweight Fours, underlining the Club’s commitment to developing high-performance lightweight programmes capable of competing with the very best American crews. Both boats will look to build on encouraging performances in 2025.
‘The Lightweight Four are excited for the international competition present at Head of the Charles and we are aiming to improve on a strong performance last year, coming in 5th,’ said lightweight men’s president Archie Smith. ‘The boat is made up of rowers from last year’s Lightweight Blue Boat and the Spare Pair, giving the boat great experience to help us achieve our goals. The whole squad is very grateful for the opportunity we have to race at HOCR for CUBC and this incredible pride only adds to our drive to win.’
Crew line-ups are subject to ongoing review and may change as part of the Club’s continuous selection process.
Cambridge Men’s Eight ‘A’
| Name | Seat | College | Nationality | Area of Study |
| Robbie Prosser | Bow | St Edmund’s | British, South African | MPhil in Film Studies |
| Cameron Tasker | 2 | Peterhouse | British | MPhil in Planning, Growth and Regeneration |
| George Rodgers | 3 | Peterhouse | American, Finnish | MPhil in Economic History |
| Ben Campbell-Reide | 4 | Jesus | British | MPhil in Real Estate Finance |
| Simon Hatcher (President) | 5 | Peterhouse | American | PhD in Engineering |
| Tyler Horler | 6 | Wolfson | British, American | MPhil in Real Estate Finance |
| Henry Blackwell | 7 | Peterhouse | Australian | MPhil in Machine Learning and Machine Intelligence |
| Patrick Wild | Stroke | Peterhouse | British | BA(Hons) Engineering |
| Sammy Houdaigui | Cox | Emmanuel | American, Moroccan | MBA |
Cambridge Women’s Eight ‘A’
| Name | Seat | College | Nationality | Area of Study |
| Alexa von der Schulenburg | Bow | Hughes Hall | Swiss, German, American | MPhil in Translating Medical Device and Advanced Therapy Research |
| Maeve Heneghan | 2 | St. Edmund’s | American | MPhil in Technology Policy |
| Selena Jones | 3 | Queens’ | British | PhD in Engineering |
| Mia Freischem | 4 | Darwin | German | PhD in Surgery |
| Heather Schmidt | 5 | Jesus | American | MPhil in Innovation, Strategy, and Organisation |
| Lydia Knevel | 6 | Christ’s | Dutch | PhD in Earth Sciences |
| Isobel Campbell | 7 | St Catharine’s | British, American, Canadian | PhD in Polar Studies |
| Jessie Martin | Stroke | Peterhouse | British | MPhil in Translating Medical Device and Advanced Therapy Research |
| Zoe Tekeian | Cox | Lucy Cavendish | American, German | MPhil in Obesity, Endocrinology, and Metabolism |
Cambridge Men’s Eight ‘B’
| Name | Seat | College | Nationality | Area of Study |
| Sam Dowd | Bow | Robinson | American | MPhil in Data Intensive Science |
| Julian Thomas | 2 | Robinson | American, Brazilian, Italian | MPhil in Real Estate Finance |
| Max Gillard | 3 | Clare | British, German | MPhil in Strategy, Marketing, Operations and Organisational Behaviour |
| Webster Thompson | 4 | Sidney Sussex | American | MBA |
| Simon Nunayon | 5 | Emmanuel | British, Nigerian | PhD in Clinical Neurosciences |
| Zach Day | 6 | Peterhouse | British | MPhil in Global History of Art and Architecture |
| Joe Travis | 7 | Jesus | British | MPhil in Music |
| Raph Berz | Stroke | King’s | Canadian, German | PhD in Economics |
| Alix de Saint-Aignan | Cox | Murray Edwards | American, French | MPhil in Global Risk and Resilience |
Spares: Harry Amad (Australian, Darwin, PhD in Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics) & Matt Waddell (Robinson, New Zealander, MPhil Management)
Cambridge Women’s Eight ‘B’
| Name | Seat | College | Nationality | Area of Study |
| Jenna Kempster-Taylor | Bow | Murray Edwards | British | MPhil in Data Intensive Science |
| Sus Tuder | 2 | Clare | American | MPhil in History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine |
| Kathryn Alexander | 3 | Darwin | American | MPhil in Human Evolution |
| Carys Earl | 4 | Gonville & Caius | British, Swiss | Medicine, BA MB BChir |
| Alissa Buhrmann | 5 | Darwin | German | PhD in Clinical Neurosciences |
| Phoebe Pryce | 6 | Homerton | British | BA(Hons) Human, Social and Political Sciences |
| Jente Jongsma | 7 | Wolfson | Dutch | MPhil in Biological Science (Physiology, Development and Neuroscience) |
| Eloise Etherington (President) | Stroke | Gonville & Caius | British | BA(Hons) Natural Sciences |
| Lauren Schneiderman | Cox | Pembroke | American | PhD in Clinical Biochemistry |
Spares: Fizz McNally (Sidney Sussex, British, Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MB BChir)) & Anna Linda Elvre (Homerton, Estonian, BA (Hons) in Human, Social, and Political Sciences)
Cambridge Men’s Lightweight Four
| Name | Seat | College | Nationality | Area of Study |
| Peter Crossley | Stroke | Sidney Sussex | British, American | BA(Hons) / MEng Engineering |
| Freddie Challacombe | 3 | St Catharine’s | British | Medicine BA MB BChir |
| James Nash | 2 | Downing | British | BA(Hons) Land Economy |
| Archie Smith (President) | Bow | King’s | British | BA(Hons) Mathematics |
| Jasmine Coleman | Cox | Gonville & Caius | British | Design (BA / MDes) |
Cambridge Women’s Lightweight Four
| Name | Seat | College | Nationality | Area of Study |
| Rosie Chambers | Bow | Gonville & Caius | British | Medicine and Surgery BA MB BChir |
| Emma O’Donnell | 2 | Murray Edwards | British | BA(Hons) Economics |
| Kelly Jones | 3 | Hughes Hall | American | MPhil in Advanced Materials for the Energy Transition |
| Lauren Allegretti (President) | Stroke | Lucy Cavendish | American | PhD in Clinical Neurosciences |
| Emerson Harris | Cox | Lucy Cavendish | American | MPhil in Engineering for Sustainable Development |