Oxford and Cambridge announce 2025 University Boat Race Crews

With just over two weeks to go until this year’s Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race, the two University boat clubs confirmed their line-ups during a formal crew announcement at Battersea Power Station in London yesterday.

As always, the four “Blue Boats” contain a wealth of international experience including many rowers from last year’s Paris Olympic Games.

Oxford Women have suffered seven consecutive defeats so are undoubtedly on a mission this year. The experienced Brit, Heidi Long, will sit in the stroke seat, having sat in the bow seat of the British women’s eight that claimed bronze in Paris at last year’s Olympic Regatta. Sat behind Long will be former GB Rowing teammate Kyra Delray (nee Edwards) whose international career dates back to 2015 when she won silver in the women’s quad at the World Rowing Junior Championships. Australian Annie Anezakis will take the six seat. For Anezakis, this year’s women’s President, it is the third boat race.

Meanwhile, as defending winners, Cambridge will be looking to extend their winning streak and also boast a strong crew. The crew raced at the Women’s Eights Head of the River Race a couple of weeks ago (the reverse of the Boat Race course) and finished third place overall, retaining the University Pennant as the fastest university crew. Sophia Hahn who has a dual American/German nationality actually took up the sport in the UK, at Henley Rowing Club after relocating from the USA. On how she started, Hahn said; “My mom was adamant that I do a sport so she Googled ‘sports for tall girls’ and rowing was the first thing that came up. She signed me up to the local rowing club and the rest was history.” Hahn is no stranger to fast eights having been World Rowing U23 Champion in the women’s eight in both 2021 and 2022. Fellow internationals joining Hahn include Samantha (Samy) Morton, a distinguished Australian rower, who became U23 World Champion in the women’s four in 2022, and also American Claire Collins, who raced at both the Tokyo and Paris Olympic regattas, finishing fifth in the women’s eight in Paris last year.

Cambridge also field a strong crew on the men’s side, although it recently emerged that 2022 World Rowing U23 Champion in the men’s eight, Matthew Heywood, would not be part of the crew due to eligibility issues. Nevertheless, the middle of the boat continues to be bolstered by experienced British rowers including double World Rowing U23 Champion (2023 and 2024) in the men’s eight, Luca Ferraro, who will be looking for his third consecutive boat race win. Sat behind Ferarro will be James Robson who raced in the GBR2 men’s pair during last year’s World Rowing Cup season and then 2019 World Rowing U23 Champion George Bourne who narrowly missed out on qualifying the single scull for GB at last year’s Final Olympic Qualification Regatta. Frenchman Noam Mouelle will take up the bow seat, also looking for a third consecutive win. Czechia is represented in the Cambridge boat by former international Gabriel Mahler.

The Oxford men’s line-up includes President Thomas Mackintosh of New Zealand who became Olympic Champion in the men’s eight in Tokyo before moving to the single scull which he raced at the Paris Olympic Regatta last year and finished fifth overall. Mackintosh will be joined by fellow Olympians Nick Rusher, who won bronze in the men’s eight for the USA in Paris last year and Nicholas Kohl who finished fourth in the Italian men’s four at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. James Doran is the only returning member from last year’s Oxford crew, having also been in the losing boat in 2023. Asked how rowing impacts his life, Doran said “It gives me a drive and a purpose. You become a member of a likeminded community full of bright, interesting and kind people, whom I hope will remain lifelong friends.”

All four Blue Boats will be coxed by men this year and while Ollie Boyne (Cambridge Men) is the only cox with Boat Race experience, both Daniel Orton (Oxford Women) and Tobias Bernard (Oxford Men) have experience of the course having learned to row at schools based on “The Tideway”.

Women’s Crews

Men’s Crews

The 2025 Boat Races will take place on Sunday 13^th April. The races will be broadcast around the world with the women’s race starting at 13:21 BST and the men’s race at 14:21 BST.  Full details on how to watch the race can be found here.

Cover photo: Benedict Tufnell/Row360