Teams announced for Cancer Research UK boat races

The unveiling of the crews who will race in the Blue Boats on 27th March took place in a combined event for the fourth year at Central Hall Westminster.

The 162nd Boat Race will see a younger Oxford [22.1yrs] take on a slightly heavier more experienced Cambridge [23.6yrs] crew that has the benefit of four returning Blues to Oxford’s one. Cambridge tipped the scales today at an average of 1.48kg per man heavier. As well as weight, the Light Blue crew also has a small height advantage on its side, with an average difference of just over 1.5cm per man.

In The Cancer Research UK Women’s Boat Race a heavier Cambridge crew will take on a lighter, Oxford Boat, with six nationalities represented across the two crews. Weighing in today as well, Cambridge women are an average of 4.27kg per woman heavier than the Dark Blue counterparts. Unlike the Light Blue men, the Cambridge women are shorter than their competitors by 1.2cm per woman, a similarly small difference.

The Cancer Research UK Boat Race looks to be a largely British affair this year with twelve of the eighteen athletes hailing from the British Isles – Oxford only have one American, in their President, Morgan Gerlak. American Cambridge President Henry Hoffstot is one of three athletes that have represented their country at senior international level, with Cambridge stroke Lance Tredell and Oxford seven-seat Jamie Cook representing Great Britain at European Championships and World Cups in recent years.

This is the first time in the 187-year history of The Boat Race that the Presidents of both the OUBC and the CUBC have been American at the same time. Oxford’s Morgan Gerlak comes from Baltimore, Maryland, whilst Pennsylvanian Henry Hoffstot of Ligonier represents Cambridge.

Cambridge boast four returning Blues along with 2014 and 2015 Goldie rower Felix Newman at bow, whilst Oxford have only one returning Blue from their victorious Blue Boat in Jamie Cook. Instead, three of the 2015 Isis crew move up to the Blue Boat: Sam Collier and Nik Hazell take key seats at cox and stroke respectively, whilst Joshua Bugajski will row at four.

Both Cambridge crews feature four nationalities, with the women’s crew including athletes from Great Britain, America, Canada and France. Three of these athletes are returning Blues, with Rosemary Ostfeld, Daphne Martschenko and Ashton Brown looking to overcome Oxford at the second attempt. Joining them are President Hannah Roberts from Blondie last year, along with Lightweight Boat Race rower Fiona Macklin, whose grandfather rowed in The Boat Race and whose father was a rugby Blue. Ostfeld sits in the coxes seat for the second year, completing her fourth Cambridge season having spent two years with the CUBC, coxing the reserve crew Goldie.

Oxford have three returners from their winning 2015 Blue Boat, including former President and U23 World Silver medalist Anastasia Chitty. Chitty sits at six, behind the returning stern pair of Lauren Kedar at stroke and new President Maddy Badcott at seven. Maddy learned to row at Lea Rowing Club in Hackney and was given access to the sport by the charity London Youth Rowing. At five is Ëlo Luik, the first Estonian to take part in either of The Boat Races and who raced in Osiris in 2014. Coxswain Morgan Baynham-Williams has raced at the U23 World and Senior European Championships with the Great Britain women’s eight.

The Presidents of both the OUBC and the CUWBC, Morgan Gerlak and Hannah Roberts respectively, have been elected from the previous season’s reserve crews. This follows in the footsteps of Alexander Leichter, 2015 CUBC President, who was the first Boat Race President to be elected in such a fashion since 2000.

The 2016 Cancer Research UK Boat Races will take place on 27th March 2016. The women will race at 3:10pm, whilst the men will race an hour later at 4:10pm.

The Official Crews for The 2016 Cancer Research UK Boat Race are listed below with their respective weights:

CAMBRIDGE

Position Name Weight (kg)

Bow: Felix Newman – 83.2kg

2: Ali Abbasi – 88.4kg

3: Charles Fisher – 91.8kg

4: Clemens Auersperg – 90.4kg

5: Luke Juckett – 82.0kg

6: Henry Hoffstot – 92.6kg

7: Ben Ruble – 83.4kg

Stroke: Lance Tredell – 94.2kg

Cox: Ian Middleton – 54.0kg

Total Weight Ex. Cox - 706.0kg

Average Weight Ex. Cox – 88.25kg

Total Weight Inc. Cox – 760.0kg

Average Weight Inc. Cox – 84.44 kg

OXFORD

Position Name Weight (kg)

Bow: George McKirdy – 76.8kg

2: James White – 87.0kg

3: Morgan Gerlak – 85.8kg

4: Joshua Bugajski – 96.4kg

5: Leo Carrington – 87.0kg

6: Jørgen Tveit – 82.4kg

7: Jamie Cook – 84.0kg

Stroke: Nik Hazell – 94.8kg

Cox: Sam Collier – 56.2kg

Total Weight Ex. Cox – 694.2kg

Average Weight Ex. Cox – 86.78kg

Total Weight Inc. Cox – 750.4kg

Average Weight Inc. Cox – 83.38kg

The Official Crews for The 2016 Cancer Research UK Women’s Boat Race are listed below with their respective weights:

CAMBRIDGE

Position Name Weight (kg)

Bow: Ashton Brown – 81.0kg

2: Fiona Macklin – 64.0kg

3: Alice Jackson – 77.2kg

4: Théa Zabell – 79.4kg

5: Daphne Martschenko – 76.6kg

6: Zara Goozee – 66.2kg

7: Hannah Roberts – 73.6kg

Stroke: Myriam Goudet – 80.4kg

Cox: Rosemary Ostfeld – 50.0kg

Total Weight Ex. Cox – 598.4kg

Average Weight Ex. Cox – 74.80kg

Total Weight Inc. Cox – 648.4kg

Average Weight Inc. Cox – 72.04kg

OXFORD

Position Name Weight (kg)

Bow: Emma Lukasiewicz – 60.4kg

2: Emma Spruce – 72.0kg

3: Joanneke Jansen – 67.0kg

4: Ruth Siddorn – 75.2kg

5: Ëlo Luik – 78.2kg

6: Anastasia Chitty – 71.0kg

7: Maddy Badcott – 74.8kg

Stroke: Lauren Kedar – 65.6kg

Cox: Morgan Baynham-Williams – 60.0kg

Total Weight Ex. Cox – 564.2kg

Average Weight Ex. Cox – 70.53kg

Total Weight Inc. Cox – 624.2kg

Average Weight Inc. Cox – 69.36kg

The 2016 Cancer Research UK Boat Races will take place on Sunday 27th March 2016. The Cancer Research UK Women’s Boat Race will begin at 3:10pm, The Cancer Research UK Boat Race at 4:10pm.