Oxford University Boat Club (OUBC) and Women’s Boat Club (OUWBC) announced their crews for next month’s Boat Races at City Hall this morning.
Cambridge go into the women’s race with a crew 18.4 kg heavier than their opponents, while their men’s boat is 34.7 kg heavier than Oxford’s.
In the women’s boat, Alice Roberts, a Physics and Philosophy student at St Edmund Hall, is the only returning member of last year’s crew. Roberts will row in seat four this year, after occupying the second seat in 2017.
For the men, Joshua Bugajski (Keble) and Vassilis Ragoussis (Linacre) are the two remaining members of last year’s victorious crew. Bugajski has moved from seat four to seat six, while Ragoussis remains Oxford’s stroke.
There is also a place for Keble’s Will Geffen. A Boat Race winner in 2015, Geffen has had to make do with a spot in the reserve boat for the past two years, but is back in the first boat this year.
Bugajski is the heaviest rower in Oxford’s men’s boat at 100.5 kg, but Cambridge’s James Letten will weighed in the highest out of any competitor, at 106.5 kg. At 6ft 10in, Letten is the tallest competitor in the history of the Boat Races.
Christ Church student Sarah Kushma is the heaviest rower in the women’s boat, at 73.5 kg, but five of the Cambridge crew weigh more than her.
The Dark Blues won the men’s race last year, but were beaten comprehensively in the women’s race, as Cambridge romped home in a record time.
Bookmaker William Hill makes Cambridge 4/9 favourites in the men’s race, but is not yet offering odds for the women’s race.
In their most recent outings, which both took place on Saturday, Oxford’s women saw off rivals Brookes in a close race, while the men’s boat were defeated by the same opposition.
The Boat Races take place on 24 March, with the women’s race starting at 4.31pm and the men’s at 5.32pm.
Cambridge will retain their leads in the overall results regardless of what happens this year: they have a 42-30 advantage in the women’s race, and lead by 82 wins to 80 in the men’s race.
Oxford Boat Race Crews:
Women:
Bow: Renée Koolschijn (Keble, 73.4 kg)
2: Katherine Erickson (Wolfson, 69.6 kg)
3: Juliette Perry (Somerville, 73.4 kg)
4: Alice Roberts* (St Edmund Hall, 67.0 kg)
5: Morgan McGovern (St Catherine’s, 72.1 kg)
6: Sara Kushma (Christ Church, 73.5 kg)
7: Abigail Killen (St Cross, 70.4 kg)
Stroke: Beth Bridgman (St Hugh’s, 67.8 kg)
Cox: Jessica Buck (Green Templeton, 53.5 kg)
Men:
Bow: Iain Mandale (St Edmund Hall, 75.1 kg)
2: Felix Drinkhall (Lady Margaret Hall, 83.8 kg)
3: Will Cahill (Chris Church, 84.3 kg)
4: Anders Weiss (St Hugh’s, 91.5 kg)
5: Will Geffen* (Keble, 87.2 kg)
6: Joshua Bugajski* (Keble, 100.5 kg)
7: Claas Mertens (Christ Church, 73.9 kg)
Stroke: Vassilis Ragoussis* (Linacre, 88.2 kg)
Cox: Zachary Thomas Johnson (Wolfson, 54.7 kg)
* denotes returning blue.
