Cambridge University Women’s Boat Club has today announced the crews to race Oxford University Women’s Boat Club in the 2018 Cancer Research UK Boat Races.
The CUWBC Blue Boat features 3 returning members of the victorious 2017 crew: Alice White (Homerton); Imogen Grant (Trinity) and Myriam Goudet-Boukhatmi (Lucy Cavendish). Thea Zabell (Downing) and Tricia Smith (Christ’s) make the step up from last year’s victorious reserve crew.
Imogen, Tricia and Thea all learned to row with their respective College Boat Clubs in Cambridge and came through the CUWBC Development Squad with both Thea and Imogen representing Great Britain at the World U23 Rowing Championships last year. Kelsey Barolak (Homerton) has joined the Squad having previously rowed at Harvard University, and German born Paula Wesselmann (Jesus) having previously rowed at Clemson University.
The crew will be stroked by Olivia Coffey (Homerton) who is studying for an MBA at the Judge Business School. Oivia won a World Championship for the USA in the 2015 quad and was spare for the 2016 Rio Olympic Team.
Steering the crew this year is Sophie Shapter (St Catharine’s) who has joined Cambridge following a successful coxing career with Latymer Upper School and Tideway Scullers with whom she won at Henley Women’s Regatta.
Speaking at the announcement of the crews at London’s City Hall, CUWBC Chief Coach Rob Baker said:
“It’s a big challenge to meet where we were last year,” he said. “We had a very fast crew but we’re making good progress that has accelerated in the last month or so to get where we want to be.
A lot of new people, it’s tricky to build to the fastest eight but we’re getting there.”
Also announced today, the line-up for the 2018 CUWBC Reserve Boat, “Blondie”. Lucy Pike (Trinity Hall) and Emma Andrews (Pembroke) will return from last year’s crew, Emma looking for her second consecutive win, and Lucy her third.
CUWBC’s President, Daphne Martschenko (Magdalene) will strengthen the reserve crew alongside former double- World Junior Champion from Germany, Anne Beenken (Peterhouse)
The Reserve Crew will be stroked by Millie Perrin (Trinity) who learned to row at Cantabrigian Rowing Club in Cambridge. The crew also features Pippa Dakin who learned to row with Newnham College Boat Club in Cambridge and the CUWBC Development Squad.
Larkin Sayre (Wolfson) joins CUWBC having previously rowed at MIT and Laura Foster (Queens’) having previously rowed at Michigan University.
In the steering seat for Blondie will be Sophie Wrixon (Darwin) who has joined the Club from Exeter University Boat Club.
Full details of the 2018 CUWBC Squad can be seen here.
The Cancer Research UK Boat Races will take place on Saturday 24th March 2018 with the Women’s Boat Race at 16:31 and the Women’s Reserve Race at 16:51.
The CUWBC Lightweights will race at Henley Boat Races on Sunday 18th March and the crew will be announced on 13th March.