Sports

The Boat Race

You get two long, thin, canoe-type structures, stick nine people in them and then row along the River Thames in London for 15 minutes or so. Sounds pretty basic, yes? Well, it is, but then so is running on a track for 100 metres or hitting a ball with a bat. As with all great […]

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4 weeks ago

April 12, 2025

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You get two long, thin, canoe-type structures, stick nine people in them and then row along the River Thames in London for 15 minutes or so.

Sounds pretty basic, yes? Well, it is, but then so is running on a track for 100 metres or hitting a ball with a bat.

As with all great sporting events, the beauty of the Boat Race is in its simplicity, but there is so much more to this historic race.

The prestigious, globally-renowned universities of Oxford and Cambridge have been doing battle for almost 200 years (their first race took place in 1829) and the race is littered with controversies, crashes and even a sinking.

This year the skulduggery began early and has been raging for week. So what’s the Boat Race all about? Let The Athletic be your guide.

It all began with a letter.

Two men — sorry, gentlemen — from Oxford and Cambridge universities went out rowing and decided to set up a race between their respective educational establishments.

Cambridge then sent a letter to Oxford stating: “The University of Cambridge hereby challenge the University of Oxford to row a match at or near London, each in an eight-oared boat during the ensuing Easter vacation.”

Oxford won the first race in June 1829 at Henley-on-Thames and in a way not a huge amount has changed in the ensuing 196 years. It’s still eight rowers in a boat on the Thames.

An illustration of the first ever Boat Race, in 1829 (Edward Gooch Collection/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

What has endured and evolved, however, is a fierce rivalry in an event that is now huge business, watched by up to 250,000 in person, millions more on television (the races are being screened live on BBC One) and sponsored by French luxury brand Chanel, no less.

“You are talking about the ultimate level of sport with the purest values,” Chanel’s Frederic Grangie said.

Purest values? Well, about that…

For almost as long as the race has been running, controversies and freakish occurrences have been part of it.

No one won in 1877 because there was a dead heat. No VAR in those days, folks.

The dead heat of 1877 (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

In 1987, a group of American rowers at Oxford tried to overthrow their coach, Dan Topolski, over training method disagreements. Topolski won, and so did Oxford, with a severely depleted crew.

Someone was even sent to prison after the 2012 race — no, not for getting over-eager with an oar, but for protesting against elitism and government cuts. Protester Trenton Oldfield swam in front of both boats and was jailed for six months for causing a public nuisance.

This year, though, the rivalry has gone into overdrive with a huge row about which students are eligible to take part, which has been labelled as a ‘new low’ in relations between the two teams.

Students taking a PGCE (postgraduate certificate in education, i.e. teaching) course, which combines studying at university with practical experience in schools, have been banned from competing for the first time this year.

Three Cambridge rowers, including World Championship silver medallist Matt Heywood, were not allowed to take part after Oxford challenged their eligibility.

Heywood said: “It’s safe to say that this decision doesn’t align with any values of sportsmanship or race spirit that I have known in rowing, and that I feel disheartened by the wider implications of this decision on my future vocation.”

Former Cambridge rower and gold medallist from the 2024 Paris Olympics Imogen Grant used somewhat less polished language on social media, saying: “This is an insult to teachers everywhere and a desperate ploy from Oxford to gain an upper hand in the most slimy way.”

Melissa Wilson raced four times for Cambridge between 2013 and 2017.

She told The Athletic that the eligibility row will only heighten what is a very serious rivalry. It’s not like the crews go to the pub together when the race is done.

Melissa Wilson, on the left, at the 2014 weigh-in (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

“Nope, absolutely not,” she chuckles.

“I graduated nearly 10 years ago so it has settled for me, but honestly, when you’re at uni you’re almost at the stage of tattooing your allegiance into your skin.

“I’d never actually visited Oxford until my second year at Cambridge and I pictured it as a dark, shadowy place with grey thundery clouds. It surprised me to discover it’s really quite beautiful.

“That’s just the mindset you build up, you will have slogans around beating Oxford, and the same for them.

“But one of the key determinants in the race is how much pain you’re willing to put yourself through to win — that pain requires a strong reason for winning, and that’s where the rivalry comes to the fore in your mind.”

Apart from a strong mindset, there are many factors that go into a successful boat race, not least navigating the 4.2 mile stretch of Thames from Putney to Mortlake, with its shifting currents.

Action from the 1962 edition of the boat race (Central Press/Getty Images)

Olympic rowing takes place on a tranquil, natural or purpose-built lakes. The Boat Race sees the crews thrown onto an unpredictable, challenging and very dirty river.

The Thames has high levels of the bacteria E. coli and environmental campaign group River Action has warned that it would be classified as ‘poor’ under environmental regulations if it were designated as a ‘bathing water’ site.

Not even E. coli can stop the Boat Race, though. Only wars and Covid-19 have prevented it from taking place every year since 1856, with the women’s race an annual fixture since 1964. Come rain or shine, this boat race endures. Sneaking a teacher into one of the boats is the only thing that might stop it this year.

But there is apprehension about the water. The tradition of throwing the winning cox into the river is now loaded with, well, disease.

“It’s a real worry that in 2025, unsafe water quality in the Thames is still a concern,” five-time Olympic gold medal-winning British rower Sir Steve Redgrave said in a news release. “Rowers, river users, and the public deserve better.”

Jumping in the River Thames: not advised these days (Naomi Baker/Getty Images)

Don’t sink, then, like both men’s crews did in 1912. But how else does the river play its part?

Wilson says: “It can be make or break and decide the outcome of the race.

“The most challenging conditions are when the streams are incredibly strong, because it’s a tidal river.

“Normally in rowing you just push on the start line and off you go…in the Boat Race if the stream starts pushing against your blade the whole boat is going to float away.

“If you have strength of tide with a 40mph wind in the opposite direction you have whitecap waves. The boats are fairly good at combating that, but in 2016 the conditions were so challenging and the Cambridge women’s boat was minutes away from fully sinking.

“It can also be, from a coxing perspective, the toughest of any other race because of the stream. To know by instinct where the fastest water is going to be, can decide who wins.”

There are no lanes, meaning clashes between oars are common if the two boats get too close to each other. This is, after all, a private match between two clubs and not contested under normal rowing rules.

It can be brutal, and the build-up and training is extremely challenging, with 40 or 50 rowers whittled down to two crews of eight for the men and women, who have trained all through the winter while also combining their university studies.

“It’s very intense,” Wilson adds. “But it also gets people to race day in a prime mental and physical state — you’re all guns blazing on multiple fronts.

“There’s a strong cultural element to it, plus the rivalry, plus it’s an unusual setup of the two crews having never competed against each other.

“It might be a university race but the calibre of athletes is extremely high.

“Winning is everything. It’s not like you’re doing it all again next week, this could be a once-in-a-lifetime event and no one leaves anything out there, it’s absolutely full pelt for 20 minutes.”

(Top photo: Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images)

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Men’s Track & Field Reels in 13th Straight NSIC Outdoor Title – Minnesota State University

Story Links DULUTH, Minn. – Minnesota State men’s track and field won its 13th straight NSIC Outdoor Track and Field Championship Saturday afternoon at James S. Malosky Stadium, hosted by Minnesota Duluth. The No. 16 nationally ranked Mavericks assembled 194.5 points for first place, followed by UMary (112), Northern State […]

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May 11, 2025

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DULUTH, Minn. – Minnesota State men’s track and field won its 13th straight NSIC Outdoor Track and Field Championship Saturday afternoon at James S. Malosky Stadium, hosted by Minnesota Duluth. The No. 16 nationally ranked Mavericks assembled 194.5 points for first place, followed by UMary (112), Northern State (94.5), Wayne State (81) and Augustana (80). Richlu Tudee was the men’s track NSIC high-point performer and Paul Lins earned the NSIC Elite Eight Award.

“Winning both titles shows the strength, unity, and drive of our program,” said head coach Mike Turgeon. “I’m proud of the athletes, coaches, and support staff who made this moment possible.”

Saturday’s track events began with the 4×100 meter relay and MSU’s team of D’Eric Smith, Kemarri Stewart, Richlu Tudee and Sam Eben Ebai took second place behind Wayne State’s facility record with a time of 40.81.

Jalen McGee accelerated to second place in 110 meter hurdles with a time of 14.14 after Andrew Martens set the facility record for Augustana (13.76). Qai Hussey recorded a season best in 400 meters and finished sixth (48.36). Then Richlu Tudee took first place in 100 meter dash with a time of 10.28 (14^th in Division II).

Kaleb Foltz dominated 800 meters and set an NSIC record in the event with a time of 1:49.93. Foltz also set the facility record. Paul Lins placed second with a personal best time of 1:51.48 (75^th in Division II).

Tudee took the title in 200 meter dash with a facility record 20.87. Eben Ebai was fifth in a time of 21.27. Ray Ure placed seventh in 5000 meters with a time of 14:46.56 (personal record).

The Mavericks closed out the day in 4×400 meter relay with a third place time of 3:13.20 (facility record, 34^th in Division II).

In the field, Blake Wakeling pole vaulted to second place with a height of 4.66m (15-3.50). Jed Hansen was also fifth.

First place in men’s discus went to Dylan Gross (53.96m, 177-00). Henry Warsaw also took eighth with a personal best.

Sheldon McNicholas won the triple jump with a mark of 14.86m (48-9.00). Anthony Ward placed third (14.50m, 47-7.00) and McGee placed sixth (14.10m, 46-3.25).

On Friday, Ray Ure won the 3000 meter steeplechase with a time of 9:10.49, coming in ahead of Jonathan Burkhalter (9:11.96, Northern State). Liam Byrne topped the field in hammer throw with a mark at 58.07m (190-06).

Saturday marked the 15th time in program history men’s outdoor track and field took home the NSIC Championship.

Minnesota State men’s track and field continues at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships May 22-24 at the CSU Pueblo Thunderbowl in Pueblo, Colorado.

TEAM SCORES (21 of 21 events scored)

1. Minnesota State (194.5)

2. UMary (112)

3. Northern State (94.5)

4. Wayne State (81)

5. Augustana (80)

6. MSU Moorhead (72)

7. Sioux Falls (64)

8. Minnesota Duluth (48)

9. Concordia-St. Paul (42)

10. Minot State (17)

11. Southwest Minnesota State (13)

12. Bemidji State (0)

12. St. Cloud State (0)

12. Winona State (0)

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The Minnesota Twins Have a New Top 100 Prospect

Twins Video That didn’t take long. Just ten months after being drafted by the Minnesota Twins with the very nice 69th overall pick, Dasan Hill was named the 85th best global prospect by Baseball America. That feels aggressive for someone who, at the time of writing, has thrown 12 professional innings. Let’s talk about […]

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May 11, 2025

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The Minnesota Twins Have a New Top 100 Prospect

Twins Video

That didn’t take long. Just ten months after being drafted by the Minnesota Twins with the very nice 69th overall pick, Dasan Hill was named the 85th best global prospect by Baseball America. That feels aggressive for someone who, at the time of writing, has thrown 12 professional innings. Let’s talk about it.

Before we dig into strengths and opportunities from Hill’s early showing, it’s worth digging into the aggressiveness of the ranking. Here’s my working hypothesis. In general, the industry is trending towards a more frequent and more aggressive ranking of prospects. Why? Two reasons; with increasing prospect-based content, there’s pressure to be ‘first’ (or close to it) on a guy. That’s not a criticism of BA. I’m a paid, very happy subscriber. It’s simply calling out an observation. Secondly, and more relevantly; prospect numbers 70-125 are fairly interchangeable.

So what about Hill, eh? How has he looked? How is he performing? What do the first glimpses of his arsenal tell us about him?

There are some clues in his signing of how bullish the Twins were on Hill. They signed him for $2 million to forgo his commitment to DBU. That’s towards the upper end of prep bonuses outside the first round of the 2024 draft. Next, the frame. He’s listed at 6’5, 160 pounds. He’s definitely put on some good weight since being drafted, but it’s easy to see the vision here. A prospect whose velo popped into the mid-90s pre-draft with a premium projectable frame.

The early returns have been encouraging. Hill has made four appearances, the most recent of which he was removed from after 1.1 innings with back tightness. He’s been pretty dominant so far in his age-19 season. 12 innings pitched, a 2.84 FIP, a 43.8 K%, and a 10.4 BB%. Insert your own small sample size caveat here, but that’s an encouraging start. I’ve caught most of Hill’s starts this season and there are two tangible takeaways; no one at Low-A can touch his breaking/off-speed stuff, and the strikes can come and go. I’d expect the latter to be true for a prep draftee in their first professional season. Hill has thrown 60% strikes in 2025 (dragged down by his most recent appearance). He’ll need to be closer to 70% when it’s all said and done.

Hill throws from a higher three quarter slot. There’s some deception in the delivery with a little crossfire there. He keeps the ball hidden well behind his head through his delivery. Hill doesn’t have much extension, a trait the Twins seem to like in their pitchers (Ober, Pablo, Paddack etc.)

Hill has two fastball shapes, a four seamer and a two seamer, the latter being what he is relying on more heavily early in his pro career. Hill’s fastballs are probably his least interesting pitch currently. It’s the one that’s potentially going to get damaged by right-handed hitters as, against righties specifically, he’s leaving it over the heart of the plate significantly more (~15%) than against lefties. Still, we should note the wins too. Hill has added velo since joining the Twins. In his spring training outings, his fastball was up to 99 mph. So far in game action, it’s touched 98 mph. That’s going to create some margin for error.

Hill’s secondary pitches are where he separates himself for a pitcher so young. He has three offerings, a slider, curveball, and changeup, all of which look strong in the early going.

Hill’s slider averages 81.7 mph. I’d expect that to firm up through his pro career. It has two plane movement, both sweep and drop and through those first 12 innings, is generating a whiff rate north of 60%. It looks like a nightmare for Low-A hitters. The curveball looks similar, just with around 9 inches more drop than the slider. This pitch sits at 79.2 mph on average (this will need to creep up, too). While it’s not as good a pitch as the slider, what’s been impressive is Hill’s ability to command it. He can consistently place it on the bottom right corner of the strike zone against right-handed hitters, rendering anyone unable to do much with it.

Finally, Hill’s changeup. This will be a crucial pitch in helping to neutralize right-handed hitters. This might be his best pitch. It gets a ton of late fade and is averaging over 15 inches of horizontal break, thrown around 84 mph on average, close to an ideal velocity separation from his fastballs.

There’s plenty to work on here and we’re taking a peak at very small sample sizes with Hill in his pro debut. What I would say stand out early on, are the quality of depth of the pitches in his arsenal, in addition to his ability to command some of his off-speed and breaking pitches effectively. That’s not a combination you often see in a prep draftee in their first pro season. Let’s hope we get to see plenty more in 2025.

Interested in learning more about the Minnesota Twins’ top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!

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First-timers and returning champions highlight rainy day at the GHSA Track and Field Championships

It was a rainy day of first-time champions emerging from the pack alongside former champions returning to glory as the GHSA Track and Field State Championships completed the season at four locations around the state – Rome’s Barron Stadium, Hugh Mills Stadium in Albany, East Jackson High School and Carrollton High School. Langston Hughes’ boys (Class […]

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May 11, 2025

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Langston Hughes’ boys (Class 5A), Starr’s Mill’s boys (Class 4A), Monroe Area’s girls (Class 3A), KIPP’s boys (Class 2A), Carver-Atlanta’s girls (Class 2A) and Claxton’s girls (Class A-Division II) were the first-timers.

There were three programs to defend titles — Westminster’s girls won the program’s seventh title and fourth-straight after topping Class 4A, joining Sandy Creek’s boys (3A) – which won its third-straight — and Mitchell County’s boys (Class A-Division II) as the teams which defended last year’s championships. For Mitchell County, it marked the program’s second title and first since 1957.

Landmark Christian’s boys added the program’s 11^th championship after finishing atop Class 1A-3A Private with a 98.5-point effort, highlighting former champions returning to the top of the podium. Landmark secured championships victories in 1996-2002, 2016, 2019, 2021.

Buford’s boys won in 1964 and 1982 before winning the Class 6A competition with 74 points, placing ahead of No. 2 Carrollton by just four points. Marietta’s girls won the Class 6A championships, the program’s third – 2001 and 2018. Pope’s girls hadn’t won a title since 1996 before finishing at the top of the Class 5A standings with a 96-point effort, 22 points ahead of second-placed Woodward. Sandy Creek (3A) won the team’s sixth title – 2007, 2008, 2015, 2023 and 2024.

Bleckley County’s boys won the Class 2A title in 2019, its first, before finishing atop Class A-Division I this season. Vidalia’s girls won the program’s first title in 2018 before mounting the top of the podium in Class A-Division I this season. Greater Atlanta Christian’s girls won previous titles in 2005, 2009 and 2012 before leading the final 1A-3A Private standings this year.

Follow the link to see the full standings for each event on both the boys and girls side of the classifications provided by MileSplit.

Final Team Standings

Class 6A

Boys: 1. Buford, 74 points; 2. Carrollton, 70; 3. Richmond Hill, 36; 4. Chapel Hill, 34.5; 5. North Atlanta, 34.

Girls: 1. Marietta, 70; 2. Buford, 58; 3. Harrison, 45; 4. Heritage-Conyers, 44; 5. McEachern, 44.

Class 5A

Boys: 1. Langston Hughes, 99; 2. Alexander, 64; 3. Brunswick, 45; 4. Greenbrier, 36; 5. Dunwoody, 34.

Girls: 1. Pope, 96; 2. Woodward Academy, 74; 3. Langston Hughes, 35; 4. Chamblee, 31; 5. Milton/Rome, 27.

Class 4A

Boys: 1. Starr’s Mill, 42, 2. Benedictine, 40; 3. Cartersville, 40; 4. Marist, 33; 5. Mays/Eagle’s Landing, 30.

Girls: 1. Westminster, 69; 2. Harris County, 66; 3. Cambridge, 58; 4. Pace Academy, 56; 5. Southwest DeKalb, 52.

Class 3A

Boys: 1. Sandy Creek, 99; 2. Jefferson, 79; 3. Calhoun, 49; 4. Stephenson, 44; 5. North Hall, 43.

Girls: 1. Monroe Area, 61; 2. North Hall, 60.25; 3. Jefferson, 51.5; 4. Cherokee Bluff, 50; 5. Monroe, 47.

Class 2A

Boys: 1. KIPP, 56; 2. Franklin County, 47; 3. East Jackson, 42.5; 4. Redan, 39; 5. Therrell, 32.

Girls: 1. Carver-Atlanta, 61, 2. Shaw, 58; 3. Booker T. Washington, 58; 4. Columbus, 55; 5. Redan/Savannah Arts, 44.

Class A-Division I

Boys: 1. Bleckley County, 58; 2. BEST, 55; 3. Social Circle, 53; 4. Bremen, 42; 5. Thomasville, 39.

Girls: 1. Vidalia, 70; 2. Model, 63; 3. Bremen, 57; 4. Bleckley County, 41; 5. Banks County, 39.

Class A-Division II

Boys: 1. Mitchell County, 54; 2. Warren County, 52; 3. Portal, 46; 4. Georgia Military, 43; 5. McIntosh County Academy, 43.

Girls: 1. Claxton, 74; 2. Elite Scholars, 52; 3. Metter, 50.63; 4. Washington-Wilkes, 47.63; 5. Charlton County, 46.63.

Class 1A-3A Private

Boys: 1. Landmark Christian, 98.5; 2. Trinity Christian, 74; 3. Athens Academy, 72; 4. Lovett, 49; 5. Hebron Christian, 46.

Girls: 1. Greater Atlanta Christian, 114; 2. Landmark Christian, 92; 3. Hebron Christian, 61; 4. Mount Vernon, 59; 5. Athens Academy, 39.

Adapted Wheelchair

Boys: 1. Wesleyan, 20; 2. Calhoun 10.

Girls: 1. Starr’s Mill, 10, 2. Gordon Central, 8; 3. Calhoun, 6.

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Regis Groff makes history by capturing 4A boys volleyball title

FOUNTAIN – More often than not, history is written by the winners. And for the first time in school history, Regis Groff is a winner. The Fusion survived a tough first set and then maintained control to beat Pueblo South 30-28, 25-18, 25-19 to capture the first-ever Class 4A boys volleyball championship. It’s also the […]

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3 hours ago

May 11, 2025

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FOUNTAIN – More often than not, history is written by the winners.

And for the first time in school history, Regis Groff is a winner. The Fusion survived a tough first set and then maintained control to beat Pueblo South 30-28, 25-18, 25-19 to capture the first-ever Class 4A boys volleyball championship.

It’s also the first team state championship in Regis Groff history. And the volleyball team hopes this can be a beacon for the other programs to achieve their championship dreams.

“Every year out of all the sports, every program is getting better and better,” coach Oliver Thornton said. “It’s nice us getting here and putting in the work. We didn’t think we would ever make it this far, to the championship. I talks to how much our community supports us.”

And that support showed as the Fusion had to fight for every point in the first set. The Colts led much of the way, and even had set point locked in at 24-20. Having dropped just one set all state tournament, Regis Groff had no desire to drop another and just continued to fight until they secured the 30-28 win.

“I don’t want to give anybody points,” Fusion hitter Eamon McKim said. “I think it’s important to play respectfully and respectively is giving your and showing the other team everything that you have.”

McKim and Ian Simpson tied for a team-high 11 kills. Jayden Flores dished out 22 assists and Taichi Royal had 12. It caps a remarkable season for the Fusion that saw them go 26-3. Their losses were to Bear Creek, Cherokee Trail and Eaglecrest. It was only about 20 minutes after Regis Groff won state that Eaglecrest claimed the 5A title on the neighboring court.

The Fusion had beaten the Colts in the first match of the day on Saturday to earn a trip into the state title match. The Colts had to fight their way back through Severance to get another crack at the Fusion and in the early moments of the championship match, put them on their heels.

Some key kills from Brody Dunlap helped South build and maintain a lead through much of that first set, but it looked like fatigue eventually got the better of the Colts.

The Fusion rallied to tie the match at 24 and battled to secure the win, which made a significant difference moving forward.

“I think the energy is what solidified it,” Thornton said. “When we started catching up, it got quiet. They were very loud [early] and that kind of energy shift is what prompted our boys to start fighting. It got our crowd ramped up and I think that energy carried over on the court.”

It was a monumental day for boys volleyball overall as it was the first year that the sport was split into two classifications. Sixteen teams battled on two courts through three days at Trojan Arena.

And when all was said and done, two trophies were handed out to two first-time champions.

(Dan Mohrmann/ColoradoPreps.com)

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Boys Volleyball: Eaglecrest, Regis Groff Claim State Titles

Story Links DENVER – With the expansion of boys volleyball this year, a state champion has been crowned in two classifications; 4A and 5A. Both winners were first-time champions, as Regis Groff won the school its first-ever state championship in any sport, claiming the 4A title. Minutes later, Eaglecrest captured […]

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3 hours ago

May 11, 2025

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DENVER – With the expansion of boys volleyball this year, a state champion has been crowned in two classifications; 4A and 5A.

Both winners were first-time champions, as Regis Groff won the school its first-ever state championship in any sport, claiming the 4A title. Minutes later, Eaglecrest captured the 5A title, marking the first boys volleyball state championship for the school.

The three-day tournament was held at Fountain-Fort Carson’s Trojan Arena.