Sports

The Boat Race

Published

8 months ago

April 12, 2025

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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Dominique Brown Breaks Longstanding School Record As 31 Spartans Set PR’s at Visit Winston-Salem College Kick Off – University of South Carolina

Published

2 hours ago

December 7, 2025

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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – USC Upstate track and field began the indoor season at the Visit Winston-Salem College Kick Off today.
The first meet of the season was a successful one, highlighted by freshman Dominique Brown breaking the school record in the women’s 400m with her time of 57.51. The previous school record has stood for 10 years.

Head Coach Carson Blackwelder said, “This was a great start to the track season. We have a very talented team with a lot of potential ahead of us.” A total of 31different Spartans all set personal records in today’s meet.

In addition to Brown, Jenelda Aristhil earned a top finish in both the weight throw and shot put. Michael Moody placed third in the men’s long jump, going a distance of 7.00m.

Coach Blackwelder continued to praise his team, saying, “The 400m runners did a great job on Saturday, and we saw some of the fastest times in school history. The throwers hit some big marks and achieved PRs all around.”

Top Performances (Women):

Dominique Brown – 400m- 57.51 – fifth place (School Record)

Jenelda Aristhil – Weight Throw – 16.96m – fourth place (third all-time in school history)

Shot Put – 12.40m – seventh place (10th all-time in school history)

Paden Bell – 400m – 59.77 (eighth all-time in school history)

Ayla Osterkamp – 400m – 59.85 (ninth all-time in school history)

Aryanna Perez – High Jump – 1.49m (10th all-time in school history)

Jamyllah Handy – Triple Jump – 11.17m (seventh all-time in school history)

Personal Bests (Women)

Brittany Benson– 60m, 200m

Dominique Brown– 60m

Mya Jackson– 60m

Aryanna Perez– 60m Hurdles

Richard’ia Allen– 200m

Paden Bell– 400m

Ayla Osterkamp– 400m

Nia Glover– 400m

Emma Grace Kutilek– 800m

Aryanna Perez– High Jump, Long Jump

Jamyllah Handy– Long Jump, Triple Jump

Jenelda Aristhil– Shot Put, Weight

Saniyah Joyner– Shot Put

Top Performances (Men):

Michael Moody – Long Jump – 7.00m – third place (fifth all-time in school history )

Quintavius James – 60m – 6.83 – fourth place

Jalen Clark – Long Jump – 6.95m – fifth place (sixth all-time in school history)

Collin Bui-Hayes – 60m – 6.88 – seventh place (fourth all-time in school history)

Jeremiah Harris – 200m – 21.53 – seventh place (second all-time in school history)

Shriyaan Krishnaraj – 400m – 48.94 (second all-time in school history)

Elias Harrison – 800m -1:57.98 – 7th place

Pierce Mosley – Shot Put – 14.46m (sixth all-time in school history

Weight – 15.48m – sixth place

Joshua Sterling – Weight- 17.52m – 3rd place (fourth all-time in school history)

Shot Put – 13.68m (10th all-time in school history)

Hunter, Walston, Ruff, Krishnaraj – 4x400m – 2:22.12 – fifth place

Personal Bests

Collin Bui-Hayes– 60m

Evan Daniels– 60m

Jared Isley– 60m Hurdles

ZaCorian Johnson– 200m

Khalif Walston– 200m

Cason McKinney– 200m

Jeremiah Harris– 200m

Shriyaan Krishnaraj– 400m

Chandler Hunter– 400m

Jacob Ruff– 400m

Aidan Kenny– High Jump

Michael Moody– Long Jump

Pierce Mosley– Shot Put

Joshua Sterling– Shot Put

Sam Ketch– Shot Put

Nathaniel Bruce– Shot Put

Tristan Pressley– Triple Jump

Jaylen Pressley– Triple Jump

Up Next for the Spartans

The Spartans resume the season in January, competing at the Tryon International Classic held on the 16th and 17th.

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Facebook.com/UpstateAthletics

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Where to stream Kansas State Wildcats vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament today

Published

2 hours ago

December 7, 2025

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The Nebraska Cornhuskers look to keep their impressive season going on Saturday night, as they get set to host the Kansas State Wildcats in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament.

Nebraska looked impressive in the first round of the tournament, vanquishing the Long Island Sharks in straight sets.

The Cornhuskers rolled toward another Big Ten championship. Nebraska has been dominant. Not only are they undefeated, but they have also been nearly untouchable. For two months, the team did not lose a set. The team then went on to win its final five matches in straight sets, clinching a third consecutive Big Ten Championship.

Now, the program that has played in every national tournament since the AIAW days has its sights set on advancing to the final four for the fourth time in the past five seasons. Nebraska looks to avenge last year’s disappointing semifinal exit at the hands of the eventual national champions, Penn State.

They take on a Kansas State that had to work hard to upset San Diego in the opening round, winning in straight sets on Friday. The Wildcats, who are playing in the national tournament for the first time in four years, look to grab the biggest of upsets and move on to the regional semifinal for the first time since 2011.

NCAA WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT

Second Round

Kansas State Wildcats vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers

When: Saturday, December 6

Time: 8 p.m. ET

Where: Bob Devaney Sports Center (Lincoln, Neb.)

Stream: ESPN+

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Jane Hedengren Obliterates the NCAA 5K Record in Boston

Published

2 hours ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Two weeks after finishing second at the NCAA Cross-Country Championships, freshman Jane Hedengren shattered the collegiate record in the 5,000 meters.

On Saturday, December 6, the Brigham Young University standout won the women’s elite race in 14:44.79 at the BU Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener. With a huge surge in the second half of the race, Hedengren improved on the previous indoor collegiate record (14:52.57) set by Doris Lemngole of Alabama at the same meet in Boston last year.

Hedengren also broke the combined collegiate record (indoor and outdoor track), 14:52.18, set by Parker Valby at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Hedengren is now No. 2 on the U.S. all-time list and No. 11 on the world all-time list in the event, indoors.

“This season, there’s been a lot of growth, and I think there’s still so much to build on, lots of gratitude approaching this race and this season, and I’m excited to keep working,” Hedengren told Nia Gibson on the FloTrack broadcast after the race.

Hedengren showed her dominance early at Boston University’s indoor facility. From the gun, Hedengren and Pamela Kosgei of New Mexico both positioned themselves behind pacesetter Ellie Leather through the first mile in 4:48, on pace for a 14:55 finish. By the 2K split, both athletes had pulled ahead of the chase pack by 50 meters.

That gap continued to grow heading into the halfway mark as the cross-country rivals dueled for the lead. Just after the 3,000-meter split, which the pair covered in 8:59, Hedengren surged ahead of Kosgei and never looked back.

For the last 2,000 meters, Hedengren knocked off blazing 34 to 35-second splits for each lap until throwing down an impressive 66-second close for the final 400 meters. Her teammate, Riley Chamberlain, battled for second-place in 14:58.97, a 25-second personal best. Kosgei finished third in 15:05:41.

Before she graduated from Timpview High School in Provo, Utah, last spring, Hedengren broke nine national records on the track—including the 5,000 meters in April when she became the first high school girl to go sub-15 for the distance.

At 19 years old, Hedengren has already emerged as an NCAA leader in her first season running for the Cougars. In October, she dominated the Pre-National Invitational and shattered the course record in her collegiate cross-country debut. She went on to win the Big 12 Championships and NCAA Mountain Region Championships by huge margins.

In late November, Hedengren was competing for the win at the NCAA Cross-Country Championships but couldn’t match the closing speed of Lemngole, the defending champion. With a surge in the last kilometer of the race in Columbia, Missouri, the junior from Kenya claimed the 6K title in 18:25, about 13 seconds ahead of Hedengren.

In a quick turnaround to the track season, Hedengren earned a form of redemption in Boston. She is the most recent athlete in the last several years to break the collegiate record at the indoor season opener, which many elite athletes utilize as a final push of fitness before the holidays. Lemngole—and Valby prior to her—set the indoor record at the same meet.

Taylor Dutch is a writer and editor living in Austin, Texas, and a former NCAA track athlete who specializes in fitness, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in Runner’s World, SELF, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner.

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Gophers volleyball wins NCAA Tournament opener, avoids St. Thomas matchup

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2 hours ago

December 7, 2025

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Minnesota volleyball opened NCAA Tournament play on Friday at Maturi Pavilion with a dominant sweep over Fairfield University. It marks the 11th straight year that the Gophers have won a first-round game.

And we dance on 💃 pic.twitter.com/k5zoEO1vPU

— Minnesota Volleyball (@GopherVBall) December 6, 2025

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The Gophers were seeded fourth in their region after a 22-9 regular-season campaign. The other game in their Minneapolis pod was five-seed Iowa State against in-state foe St. Thomas, which played its first-ever game in the NCAA Tournament on Friday. The Cyclones won a five-set battle before Minnesota’s game.

“I’m proud of our team for playing our brand of volleyball. Serving, blocking and playing really clean. Tomorrow will be a big challenge. Iowa State is a great team in a lot of facets, especially defensively,” Minnesota head coach Keegan Cook said after the game.

Minnesota already beat St. Thomas three sets to one in a nonconference game in August, but an NCAA Tournament clash in the Tommies’ first season eligible would’ve felt like a huge contest. Ultimately, Iowa State will face the Gophers on Saturday night at 7 p.m. CT at Maturi Pavilion with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line.

The Cyclones had an impressive 22-7 regular-season campaign, and a 12-6 mark in the Big 12. Saturday’s showdown should be a great contest between two of the better college volleyball programs in the Midwest.

Elliot and Thuotte Highlight Men’s Indoor Track and Field Season Opener

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2 hours ago

December 7, 2025

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BOSTON, Mass. — Regis College men’s track and field kicked off their indoor season today at the Reggie Lewis Center, competing in the Suffolk Relays and setting two new program records.

Senior Brady Elliot (Charlestown, N.H.) made an impressive debut for the Pride, placing second in the men’s high jump with a leap of 1.85 meters, establishing a new indoor program record. Elliot also competed in the long jump, finishing 12th with a distance of 6.06 meters. Joseph Doughty (Woburn, Mass.) added a seventh-place finish in the high jump, clearing 1.70 meters.

Justin Thuotte (Lebanon, Conn.) earned three top-ten finishes. His best came in the shot put, where he took third with throw of 12.82 meters to set a new personal best. Thuotte also placed fifth in the long jump, setting a new indoor program record with a leap of 6.65 meters, and finished seventh in the weight throw with a mark of 13.28 meters. Ryan Sweeney (Lynn, Mass.) joined Thuotte on the shot put leaderboard, finishing fourth with a toss of 12.65 meters. Sweeney also set a personal best in the weight throw with an 11.28 meter toss.

Jalen Jones (Everett, Mass.) claimed fifth place in the triple jump with a mark of 11.94 meters. Meanwhile, DJ Marks (Medford, Mass.) and Luc Willems (Belchertown, Mass.) rounded out the top ten finishers in the high jump and men’s 1000m, respectively. Marks cleared 1.60 meters in the high jump, and Willems crossed the line in 3:18.18 in the 1000-meter run.

In the men’s 1600 sprint medley relay, the team of Zach Olaywole (Marlborough, Mass.), Jones, Elliot, and Nathan Thomas (Medford, Mass.) finished 13th overall with a time of 4:13.28.

The Pride will quickly turn around as they head to UMass Boston tomorrow for the Beacon Season Opener.

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No. 25 Women’s Volleyball Falls to No. 3 Texas in NCAA Second Round – Penn State

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2 hours ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

AUSTIN, Texas – No. 25 Penn State’s 45^th-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament came to an end in the second round Saturday with a 3-0 (25-16, 25-9, 25-19) loss to No. 3 Texas at Gregory Gymnasium. The Nittany Lions close the season at 19-13 overall, while the Longhorns move on with a record of 25-3.

The loss snapped Penn State’s seven-match NCAA Tournament winning streak, which included six victories on the way to last year’s national title. The Nittany Lions remain second in the nation with eight national titles, trailing only Stanford’s nine.

Kennedy Martin tallied 16 kills for Penn State and has now recorded double-digit kills for the 83^rd-consecutive match when she plays at least three sets. Caroline Jurevicius finished with seven kills, while Emmi Sellman chipped in with five.

Gillian Grimes wrapped up an outstanding collegiate career with a team-high 11 digs. She leaves Penn State as a two-time All-Big Ten honoree, making the first team this season and the second team as a junior last season. She now turns her attention to the pro ranks, where she will play for the San Diego Mojo of Major League Volleyball. Grimes was recently picked by the Mojo in the third round of the MLV Draft.

Torrey Stafford led Texas to the win, hitting .556 with 21 kills. Abby Vander Wal joined her in double-digits with 10 kills, while Cari Spears was next with nine.

Penn State now holds an 11-10 lead in the all-time series with Texas. The teams are knotted at 2-2 in NCAA Tournament matchups against each other.

Saturday’s matchup featured the past three national champions as Texas won back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023 and Penn State took home the trophy last season.

The 2025 Penn State women’s volleyball season is presented by Musselman’s.

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