The girls’ senior eight event at the 2025 Stotesbury Cup Regatta looks very competitive this year, with 27 entries. Lots of crews will be looking to put their name down as strong competitors for events to come. The 1500m course will mean that races go by quickly, and that the racing will be explosive and exciting. Aggressive starts will be needed from all crews looking to cement their position at the top of the podium.
Montclair High School
Much like their men’s crew, the Montclair High School women’s varsity eight is a force to be reckoned with and are in a promising position to do very well come this weekend. On paper, they are a strong crew, as seen at the Don Bosco Erg Classic earlier this year. In the women’s open class, the Montclair varsity women took the first, second, third, and fourth-place positions. Notably, Young and Cecere pulled some excellent times, which were 7:10 and 7:09, respectively. Young is the returning stroke seat from last year’s Stotesbury Cup Regatta eight, which finished second in the competition. They are likely hungry to see their name at the top of the podium, and it is a possible outcome with the horsepower in the boat. A 22nd place finish at the Head of the Charles will also put them in good stead for the weekend.
Mount St Joseph’s Academy
Last year’s winners by almost five seconds and the 20th place finishers at the Head of the Charles, Mount St Joseph’s Academy are another crew with a strong chance at the gold medal. They also have some returning athletes from last year’s winning crew, such as Ksiazek who stroked the Head of the Charles eight. This experience will do much to create the composure and smoothness necessary to win the title. Mount St Joseph’s Academy have the added bonus of being natives to the Schuylkill area and have much experience racing on the course. Perhaps this knowledge will be enough to put them on top of their competition.
Bethesda Chevy-Chase High School
Rounding out the podium from last year, we have Bethesda Chevy Chase High School. Notably, they performed the best out of this Stotesbury Cup Regatta field at the Head of the Charles Regatta, which will fill them with confidence heading into this race. They have recently succeeded at the Washington Metropolitan Interscholastic Rowing Association, winning the varsity women’s eights. Their time was a speedy 4:54 over 1500 metres, which placed them a comfortable four seconds clear of their opposition. Though conditions can be unpredictable, if Bethesda Chevy Chase High School can replicate this time, they will be very much in contention for the win.
Predictions
Time for the big reveal: the predictions for the upcoming races. The gold medal position will be hotly contested between Montclair and Mount St Joseph’s, but in the end, I think Montclair will clinch the title. This leaves Mount St Joseph’s in second and Bethesda Chevy Chase in third. This is a deep and competitive field, so other crews may surge forward for a place in the top three.
