Cambridge Women Shine on International Women’s Day with Outstanding Performances at Head of the River Race 2025

On a bright and exhilarating Saturday of racing, the Cambridge Women’s crews took to the water in style, celebrating International Women’s Day with determination.

The Women’s A crew delivered a stellar performance, showcasing their grit and skill to retain the University Pennant and claim the title of fastest university crew, outpacing a dominant Oxford Brookes University. Their impressive effort secured them 3rd place overall in a highly competitive field.

The Women’s B crew also put on a commanding display, finishing 16th overall—outperforming strong crews from Durham, Bristol, and Imperial. Meanwhile, the Lightweight crew made remarkable strides, surging 32 places up the rankings to finish 41st overall, a huge leap from their starting position of 73rd.

A huge congratulations to all three crews for representing Cambridge with such outstanding performances!

Cambridge Women’s A

Result: 3rd overall, University Pennant (18:50.7)

Name	Seat	College
Jack Nicolas	Cox	Pembroke
Samantha Van Eybergen	Stroke	Hughes Hall
Natasha Morrice	7	Jesus
Claire Collins	6	Peterhouse
Carys-Anne Earl	5	Gonville & Caius
Annie Wertheimer	4	St Edmund’s
Sophia Hahn	3	Hughes Hall
Gemma King	2	St John’s
Katy Hempson	Bow	Christ’s

Race report: Sophia Hahn (3 seat)

It was the last opportunity to race the full-length Championship Course before the big day — the official dress rehearsal — and we rocked it! Like always, we went out with no expectations except to give it our best, stay internal, and have fun doing what we love: racing with each other, for each other.

When the umpire called the race’s official start all the women on the river roared excitedly; the atmosphere was electric! Everyone was so ready to race, especially on International Women’s Day.

We turned our boat around, paddled to the start line, and locked in. Off the start we held a fiery rate 45 led by our trusty stroke seat, Samy Morton. After a few minutes, we settled to base pace and started chasing the crews in front. Our starting position was seventh, so we had some ground to cover; however, like always, we loved a challenge and got right to work. Two kilometers into the race, we moved with a purpose, taking a couple of seats on the crews in front.

When we approached Hammersmith, we were three-lengths down from the field (nothing we couldn’t handle). Jack called for us to sharpen for 10, and we took another quarter of a length. After Hammersmith, we had to call in the big guns, Claire Collins, to lay down the biggest watts anyone has ever seen this side of the Atlantic (and Putney Bridge). When Claire went, we all went with her— and the splits melted away.

At Barn Elms, we could feel ourselves getting closer to the rest of the competition. Our legs were on fire! We were deep in the pain cave but only a few inches away from the rest of the field. With the perfect cocktail of elation and fatigue, it became harder and harder to maintain our composure, but we did. Pushing through the burning in our lungs and legs, we rowed a long and strong rhythm, catching the crew in front and inching closer to the next one just a length away.

We started our sprint a couple of hundred meters out from the finish, running out of water; we knew we had to throw the kitchen sink in to catch the next crew. With each rate step, our boat lifted higher and higher out of the water, so much so that you would have thought we grew wings. We crossed the finish line with our bow on the next boat’s stern, with nothing left in our legs and smiles, knowing we had given it our all. We finished third overall, making it a perfect end to a great day of racing.

Well done to all the racing crews and thank you to the event organizers!

Cambridge Women’s B

Result: 16th overall, 3rd senior crew and 2nd senior university crew (19:34.0)

Name	Seat	College
Louis De Neve	Cox	Robinson
Carina Graf	Stroke	Emmanuel
Eloise Etherington	7	Gonville & Caius
Carrie Rijkse	6	Magdalene
Polly Shorrock	5	Trinity
Jessica ‘Beanie’ Spain	4	Queens’
Lucy Havard	3	Gonville & Caius
Mia Freischem	2	Darwin
Ellie Sillar	Bow	Emmanuel

Race report: Lucy Havard (3 seat)

Conditions were bright and sunny for the Women’s Head of the River Race which took place on International Women’s Day. The Tideway was nothing short of chaotic with over 300 boats taking part in this momentous race.

Cox Louis De Neve kept us calm and collected as we rowed down to the start, fitting in a couple of bursts and some drills. We had a good start to our race and settled into a strong and powerful rhythm. It didn’t take us long to pass Cantabs who started ahead of us. Our ‘Hammer 100’ provided us with some excellent focuses to take our minds off the pain as we sped down the course. Just before Hammersmith, we overtook Nottingham University. We continued to gain on the crews ahead as we built up the speed and rate towards the Finish. It was a well-executed race which shows how far we’ve come as a crew, and we are looking forward to continuing to build speed in the last few weeks before the Boat Races.

The Cambridge ‘B’ crew finished 16th overall, 3rd senior crew and 2nd senior university crew.

Cambridge Women’s Lightweights

Result: 41st overall, 19th senior crew and 12th senior university crew (20:20.9)

Name	Seat	College
Sarah Sharp	Cox	Pembroke
Madeline Jackson	Stroke	St Edmund’s
Arden Berlinger	7	Pembroke
Freya Clarkson	6	Emmanuel
Giselle Pezier	5	Queens’
Jessica van de Grint	4	St Catharine’s
Eugenie Dodds	3	Christ’s
Grace Forward	2	Jesus
Claire Cooper	Bow	Sidney Sussex

Race report: Jessica Van de Grint (3 seat) and Arden Berlinger (7 seat)

The Cambridge Lightweight Women, coxed by Sarah Sharp and stroked by Madeline Jackson, started WeHORR at position 73 in the second wave of crews. It was a lovely sunny day with a quick stream, and spirits were high as we approached an excellent opportunity to race the full course, albeit in reverse!

Though a time trial race, we approached the start as a normal race, attacking the first couple hundred meters before settling into a steady race pace rhythm and overtaking the first crew ahead before Barnes Bridge. We built momentum through the Surrey bend, before focusing on speed and power through Hammersmith. Coming around the bend into Harrods, we focused on long strokes and grit in our moves to overtake a number of crews in a series, thanks to persistent coxing. We managed to hold our focuses despite the headwind before attacking our sprint coming into the cheers of the embankment.

We finished the race in 41st position, representing a 32 spot gain. This was an excellent opportunity to practice executing our race plan on the full Boat Race course, cement our strengths, and explore ways to live up to the full speed potential as we approach the final weeks of training.