Women's Eight named as British Rowing University Crew of the Year

At the 2023 British Rowing Awards, which took place on the 25th January, the University of Nottingham Boat Club's Women's Eight won University Crew of the Year - celebrating the fantastic achievements of the squad over the past twelve months. 

The crew which consists of Charlotte Brand, Georgie Thorp, Katie Kearsey, Anna Kemsley, Emmie Kirkhope, Holly Burke, Izzy Blake-Hurworth, Charlotte Sanders and Helena Singleton, were recognised for their significant improvement across the year. The crew went into one of the showpiece events of the year in Henley Royal Regatta as underdogs, but surpassed expectations by qualifying for and the winning a round at the prestigious meeting. With many of the crew only learning to sweep that year, the team really had a tough challenge to get up to speed with the likes of some of the other Championship level university crews. However, with the help of new coaches Ade Roberts and Peter Boyes, the eight learnt quickly and began to form a solid unit.

British Rowing also added that "the 2023 BUCS Regatta was the first time Nottingham had a competitive Women’s Championship Eight for a very long time with the crew ending up fifth after a tightly fought final. They have certainly set a benchmark for future years." Overall, the crew has had an outstanding season, and for them to win this award is a true display of their achievement. They were up against every other university crew in the country and there was plenty of tough competition also shortlisted for their hard work. However, after incredible results at BUCS, MET and making it through a round at Henley Royal Regatta has added to the greatness and one of the most successful seasons for the boat club and we are delighted for the club on their success this year.

Alongside this success, University of Nottingham's Boat Club President Ethan Page-Mason was shortlisted for British Rowing's Volunteer of the Year. Ethan has led the launch of LYR's Active Row programme, expanding to 9 schools and positively impacting over 150 children. He is described to be committed to changing lives and making rowing accessible. His hard work continues to be influential amongst the schools as the university of Nottingham continues with the LYR programme a second year running. We would like to congratulate Ethan on his continued success.

You can find out more about these #GreenandGold successes at the 2023 British Rowing Awards by visiting: 2023 British Rowing Awards winners announced - British Rowing. You can also keep up to date with the Boat Club's progress by following them on social media here. 

You can find out more about our Performance Rowing programme by visiting our dedicated web page here.