Cambridge University Boat Club returned to the Head of the Charles Regatta on 16-18 October 2026. Fielding six crews across the Championship Eights and Lightweight Fours events, the Club combined exciting new talent with experienced returners, setting benchmarks for another season of international competition.
Across the weekend, Cambridge secured a student podium finish, with the Men’s A crew placing third in the Championship Eights, alongside three alumni-category medals: gold in the Men’s Veterans Four and Men’s Senior Master Four, and silver in the Women’s Alumnae Eight.
With nail-biting racing from start to finish, Cambridge Men’s A secured third place out of 37 entries, finishing just behind the Dutch National Team and Harvard A. They crossed the line ahead of American and British A crews from Uni of Washington, Princeton, Dartmouth, Northeastern, Leander, Cal, Yale and Oxford Brookes and Oxford, who finished 14th.
Cambridge Women’s A produced a programme-best performance, improving on their 2025 time by approximately 40 seconds to finish sixth out of 32 entries. Starting at bow #10, they laid down an early marker for the season, finishing comfortably ahead of Oxford, who started at bow #3 and placed tenth. Cambridge finished behind two US National Team Training Centre crews, a Virginia A crew that surprised from bow #25 to take third place, and A crews from Princeton and Leander. They finished ahead of leading American programmes including Yale, Brown, Rutgers, Radcliffe (Harvard) and Dartmouth, as well as British clubs Molesey and Thames.
In a deep field, Cambridge Men’s B improved on their 2025 time by just over three seconds, finishing as the second-fastest B crew. Only Princeton B recorded a faster time, with Cambridge finishing ahead of B crews from Yale, Harvard, Dartmouth and Brown, as well as A crews from Cornell, Boston University and Georgetown.
Cambridge Women’s B delivered another impressive performance that highlighted the depth of the women’s squad. They finished as the third-fastest B crew, narrowly behind Yale and Princeton, and finished just two seconds behind Radcliffe (Harvard)’s A crew. Cambridge also finished ahead of A crews from Boston University, UNC Chapel Hill, Oxford Brookes, Penn and UMass.
The Cambridge Men’s Lightweight Four matched its 2025 result, finishing fifth. The crew faced tough competition in the form of two stacked Harvard entries, showing the depth of Harvard’s lightweight programme across multiple events. Also finishing ahead were the A crews from Penn and Queens’ University, Canada. However, Cambridge put together a composed race and finished well ahead of A crews from Yale, Dartmouth, and Cornell.
The Cambridge Women’s Lightweight Four improved by one place on its 2025 performance, finishing sixth overall. Crews from Boston University, Wisconsin, Radcliffe (Harvard) and Queen’s University, Canada, occupied the places ahead. Cambridge held off a strong MIT crew by less than a second and also finished ahead of Princeton A.
Congratulations to all the students who represented Cambridge at this year’s Head of the Charles Regatta, and to the many alumni who competed not only for Crabtree but also for a wide range of clubs and universities across the regatta.
CUBC also extends our most sincere thanks to our team hosts for their exceptional hospitality, and to the alumni and supporters who joined us across the week.
Cambridge Men’s Eight ‘A’ | 🥉| 13:36.084
Image Credits: AllMarkOne, Chaowu Li @chaowu_photo, Vicky Baker Gillard
| 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 |
Race Report: Simon Hatcher
The CUBC ‘A’ crew had a strong race down the Charles, putting down a good marker for the early season against some of the best crews in the world.
We had the privilege of heading off as bow #1. As we raced under the BU bridge, cox Sammy Houdaigui called us onto rhythm and our stroke-7 pair Patrick Wild and Henry Blackwell established a strong rhythm which carried us down the Powerhouse Stretch. We took the turns tight and well, and our middle four of Tyler Horler, Simon Hatcher, Ben Campbell-Reide, and George Rodgers laid on the power to build speed out of the turns. The bow pair, Cam Tasker and Robbie Prosser, kept us on rail around the Eliot turn, and the whole crew sprinted to the line. We finished in third. Well rowed to the Dutch eight, Harvard, and all crews for an outstanding race.
Cambridge Women’s Eight ‘A’ | 6th | 15:24.506
Image Credits: AllMarkOne, Vicky Baker Gillard
| 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 |
Race Report: Maeve Heneghan
For Sunday’s races at this year’s Head of the Charles Regatta, CUBC’s Women’s Championship Eight A crew started at bow #10 behind Princeton and ahead of Dartmouth. There was a light wind and sunny conditions, and the boat had an electric warmup before lining up by the BU boathouse. The crew started off strong, storming through the BU bridge, yelling “BRIDGE”, and starting the long turn to Riverside. The chirps subsided as the race went on, but the spirits stayed high. It was a pleasantly uneventful race as coxswain Zoe Tekeian steered the boat expertly around the course’s sharp turns with the help of rudder #4. The crew finished in 6th place in a time of 15:24.5, taking the first win over Oxford in the lead up to the Centenary Boat Race. The boat came off the water excited about the season to come, and after a programme best finish, the team is ready to continue working towards 11 April.
Cambridge Men’s Eight ‘B’ | 17th | 13:56.924
Image Credit: AllMarkOne, Vicky Baker Gillard
| 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’ | 17th | 15:50.871
Image Credit: @WeRowLikeThis, Brian Schneiderman, Vicky Baker Gillard
| 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)
Race Report: Kate Alexander
On a beautiful Boston Sunday: chilly and shockingly still, a rare treat, CUBC Women’s B started off a historic season for the program on a high. Starting behind Northeastern A, they steadily gained before passing them on the inside before Elliot Bridge, where they then negotiated the final bend alongside Brown B.
This race for the four returning trialists and five newcomers in the boat, and for the program as a whole, is just one building block towards the 100th Women’s Boat Race between Cambridge and Oxford. The squad hopes to capitalise off its impressive depth throughout Trial 8s and upcoming fixtures in the build to 11 April.
Cambridge Men’s Lightweight Four | 5th | 15:59.700
Image Credit: AllMarkOne, Vicky Baker Gillard
| 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) |
Race Report: Archie Smith
On the Saturday morning, the lightweight men had the first challenge of weighing in. After a light dinner the Friday evening and a couple long hot showers, the guys successfully made weight and the focus then turned to resting ahead of Sunday’s race.
Come Sunday, the crew was raring to go. This excitement translated into a fast start and the boys relaxed onto a strong rhythm as they came into the Powerhouse Straight and quickly pushed away from the chasing Dartmouth crew. Cox Jasmine Coleman showed her skills as the four came into Weeks Bridge. After handling the corners, the four came under Eliot Bridge and the final sprint was upon them. It was a tough last few minutes and the guys definitely didn’t have their best sprint.
The Lightweight Men’s four came fifth with a time of 15:59.7. Upon reflection, the crew felt it wasn’t quite our best performance but are so grateful for the support of our alumni, family and friends. It has been a privilege to compete at HOCR and the Lightweight Men are looking forward to continuing our training, with our focus shifting to The Boat Race.
Cambridge Women’s Lightweight Four | 6th | 18:29.080
Image Credit: AllMarkOne, Vicky Baker Gillard
| 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 |
Race Report: Lauren Allegretti
The Lightweight Women took to the Charles excited to race after a strong period of training together. Following a confident paddle up to the start, the crew set off at a high rate before cox Emerson Harris settled them into a strong rhythm for the opening stages of the race.
Coming into the Powerhouse Stretch, the crew committed to a sustained push, holding off a fast-moving Wisconsin crew and responding well to the energy from the crowds along the river. The four continued to race strongly past Weld Boathouse and under Anderson Bridge, maintaining their rhythm as the course began to tighten approaching the final section.
Around the long Eliot turn, Wisconsin moved through, but Emerson’s precise coxing quickly brought the crew back onto the racing line. Cambridge responded by lifting again for the closing stages, holding off Radcliffe and committing everything they had left through the final sprint.
The Lightweight Women finished the race in 6th with a time of 18 minutes and 29 seconds. It was a huge effort from the entire crew and an exciting opportunity to race together on the Charles. The crew is incredibly grateful to all the Cambridge alumni, family and friends who supported us throughout the weekend. We feel incredibly privileged to have represented Cambridge at the Head of the Charles, and now return to Cambridge excited to build on the performance as the focus shifts towards Four’s Head.
Crabtree (Cambridge Alumni Crews)
Men’s Veteran Fours | 🥇
Bow: Matthew Parish
2: Guy Pooley
3: Stephen Peel
Str: Sean Gorvy
Cox: Ishan Barve
Women’s Alumnae Eights | 🥈
Bow: Annie Wertheimer
2: Aiden Wrenn-Walz
3: Sophia Hahn
4: Camille Vandermeer
5: Claire Collins
6: Olivia Coffey
7: Ruby Tew
Str: Megan Lee
Cox: Sammy Houdaigui
Image credits: Wrenn-Walz
Men’s Senior Master Fours | 🥇
Bow: Michal Plotkowiak
2: Storm Uru
3: Jade Uru
Str: David Nelson
Cox: George Bosson
Men’s Master Singles | 10th
Adam Randall
Men’s Grand Master Eights | 10th
Bow: Mark Simmonds
2: Ian Townsend
3: James Hume
4: James Brooks
5: Pierre Lhommet
6: Matthew Keller
7: Luke Hebbes
Str: Jason Bowyer
Cox: Branwen Phillips