CUBC Sends Largest Contingent in Decades to Head of the Charles 2025 with Cambridge Men Aiming to Defend Title
Cambridge University Boat Club is making its most significant showing in decades at Head of the Charles Regatta 2025, held from 17-19 October in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. With six crews, including four openweight eights and two lightweight fours, the Club is fielding a line-up full of new talent and key returners, underscoring our depth and ambition on the international stage.
Among the crews, the Men’s ‘A’ Championship Eight will draw particular attention as it seeks to defend the title won in 2024, Cambridge’s first victory in the event in over two decades. With just two returners from last year’s winning boat, Noam Mouelle and Simon Hatcher, the crew enters a highly competitive field with fresh talent, marking the season’s first major test.
‘The men’s team is eager to defend its Championship Eights title at the Head of the Charles,’ said Simon Hatcher. ‘In a squad notable for both its depth of talent and diversity of rowing background, we’re aiming for top finishes in the heavyweight eights and the lightweight four. Every athlete is bringing impressive energy and focus as we come together in the final sessions before departing for Boston.’
The Women’s Championship Eight ‘A’ crew also features a blend of experience and new talent. President Gemma King and victorious Blue Carys Earl return to anchor the crew, whilst incoming triallist Camille VanderMeer, recently crowned a world champion, will not feature in Boston as she settles into Cambridge.
‘I’m really lucky to be racing for CUBC at the Head of the Charles this year!’ says Carys Earl. ‘It’s the first point in the season where we get to race in eights, and the lightweights in 4+s. It’s a chance to see what we have been able to build together so far. It’s also an exciting opportunity to line up against some of the top crews from American universities as well as other international teams. We want to see how we, as a squad, perform in this competitive field.’
For the first time in many years, Cambridge will also send two lightweight fours, highlighting the Club’s commitment to developing competitive lightweight crews ready to take on top American talent.
Says Lightweight Men’s President Josh Moore, ‘There is a lot of excitement in the squad as a whole that we are able to send crews to Boston alongside the openweights. The crews that have been selected want to do well not only for ourselves, but also to reflect that we can be an internationally competitive lightweight programme.’
Additionally, two ‘B’ crews will also take to the water in the Championship Eights, representing the strength of the wider squad and the Club’s investment in athlete development.
Crew line-ups are subject to ongoing review and may change as part of a continuous selection process.
Cambridge Men’s Eight ‘A’
| Name | Seat | College |
| Sammy Houdaigui | Cox | Fitzwilliam |
| Calvin Tarczy | Stroke | Wolfson |
| Noam Mouelle | 7 | Hughes Hall |
| Kyle Farm | 6 | Lucy Cavendish |
| Simon Nunayon | 5 | Queens’ |
| Gabriel Obholzer | 4 | Peterhouse |
| Alexander McClean | 3 | Hughes Hall |
| Simon Hatcher | 2 | Peterhouse |
| Freddy Breuer | Bow | Lucy Cavendish |
Cambridge Women’s Eight ‘A’
| Name | Seat | College |
| Matt Moran | Cox | Emmanuel |
| Gemma King | Stroke | LMBC |
| Alex Wiley | 7 | Jesus |
| Carys Earl | 6 | Caius |
| Lyndsey Bryden | 5 | Peterhouse |
| Mathilda Kitzmann | 4 | Christ’s |
| Aidan Wrenn-Walz | 3 | Fitzwilliam |
| Toni Galland | 2 | Peterhouse |
| Izzy Campbell | Bow | Hughes Hall |
Cambridge Men’s Eight ‘B’
| Name | Seat | College |
| Cate Engles | Cox | Jesus |
| Will Klipstine | Stroke | Hughes Hall |
| Alex Finger | 7 | Wolfson |
| Max Deering | 6 | Peterhouse |
| Felix Rawlinson | 5 | Fitzwilliam |
| Leonard Brahms | 4 | Wolfson |
| Thomas Connor | 3 | Churchill |
| Joe Travis | 2 | Jesus |
| George Dickinson | Bow | Hughes Hall |
Cambridge Women’s Eight ‘B’
| Name | Seat | College |
| Lauren Schneiderman | Cox | St Edmund’s |
| Charlotte Ebel | Stroke | Newnham |
| Ellie Sillar | 7 | Emmanuel |
| Fizz McNally | 6 | Sidney Sussex |
| Mia Loxley | 5 | Churchill |
| Nicole Wojtania | 4 | Jesus |
| Eloise Etherington | 3 | Caius |
| Phoebe Pryce | 2 | Homerton |
| Mia Freischem | Bow | Darwin |
Spares: Alyssa Nicholls (St Edmund’s) and Anna Golbus (Clare)
Cambridge Men’s Lightweight Four
| Name | Seat | College |
| Freya Jenkinson | Cox | Selwyn |
| Josh Moore | Stroke | Queens’ |
| Nikita Mohr | 3 | Peterhouse |
| Peter Crossley | 2 | Sidney Sussex |
| Freddie Challacombe | Bow | St Catharine’s |
Spare: Victor Viennot-Bourgin (Darwin)
Cambridge Women’s Lightweight Four
| Name | Seat | College |
| Heather Shinn | Cox | Wolfson |
| Zara Bek | Stroke | Trinity 1st & 3rd |
| Helena Olandi | 3 | Hughes Hall |
| Hannah Major | 2 | Pembroke |
| Olivia Wright | Bow | Emmanuel |
Spare: Hannah Warren (Jesus)