Following an exciting start to the season last year, several crews have already made a statement ahead of the countdown to Nationals. With only six weeks to go until the season finale, here are just a few of our highlights for women’s crews to watch.
Dunstan Arm Rowing Club
Looking ahead to the sculling events, Dunstan Arm Rowing Club’s results this season are a testament to the depth of their women’s squad. Wins across the open, club and intermediate double sculls categories; performances made even more significant with the crews containing some novice members, already showing incredible promise early in their careers. Another victory in the club coxless quadruple sculls at recent events further solidifies their potential to be top contenders.
However, Dunstan’s success is not limited to the sculling discipline, with their club eights also showing promise, securing a dominant win at the Otago Championships, while their coxless four just missed out on the top spot behind Avon Rowing Club following a tough race. A special mention also goes to Isla Westlake, who, despite her novice status, dominated the singles categories at the recent Meridian Otago Championships, taking home wins in both the club and open single sculls, with decent margins. With such impressive achievements this early in her career, we anticipate Westlake to be a name to remember for years to come. Dunstan’s history of successful performances, coupled with recent results, secures them yet again a position amongst the top teams ahead of the season’s major events.
Avon Rowing Club
Long-established as one of the largest and successful clubs on the South Island, Avon Rowing Club are yet again a key contender across the women’s events this year, dominating the sweep categories this season. Standout performances include victories across the open eight, coxless four, and pair at the recent Otago Championships, as well as the Intermediate eight and four. A testament to the depth of the squad, Avon occupied all three top positions in both the open coxless pair and fours events, with Phoebe Collier and Jemma Burrows being the duo to take the win by a convincing margin in the former, whilst Georgie Bethell, Jessica Tavendale, Coco Flood and Isabelle Williamson were the victorious group in the four. Familiar names, such as Collier and Burrows, entered the season holding multiple national titles and carried their momentum throughout their racing last year. Following their impressive ten medals at last season’s nationals, Avon will look to maintain a dominant fleet across the women’s categories.
Waikato Rowing Club
Yet again favoured to be top contenders this year, Waikato Rowing Club has had a strong start to the season, with their open eights remaining undefeated and the team occupying several of the top finishing positions in various categories. Following a fruitful National Championships last year, which saw them take home a staggering 24 medals across the women’s categories, this season’s competitions at Karāpiro have shown promise in events such as the open eights and coxless pairs. The team boasts a wealth of talent, with several international representatives, including world champion Isobel Eliadis-Watson and multiple Trans-Tasman title winner Savannah Freeman, among others. With the size of their squad offering significant depth in their talent pool, Waikato will certainly be looking to return with force for the remainder of the season ahead.
North Shore Rowing Club
Following a convincing victory from their teammates, Maeve Lockett and Charlotte Mawston, in the open coxless pair, the club-grade squad from North Shore Rowing Club also established a strong record sheet at the recent Karāpiro Christmas Regatta. That began with Emma Curnow and Sacha van der Net crossing the line in a comfortable lead to take the win in the coxless pair, before joining Izzy Karim and Lilah Martin to finish runners-up behind teammates Eden Hogg, Madeline Donovan, Lily Dwyer and Ruth Barge in the coxless four. The potential strength of this club squad was further convinced when the team secured a very respectable third-place finish in the coxed eight. With six weeks left to go until Nationals, the team will be keen to see how they will fare in the wake of the all-important North Island and National showdowns.
