One of the most anticipated races to come at the 2025 Australian University Games is the Men’s Eight, with contenders from three states travelling to the Queensland Rowing Centre, this race promises a tight competition comprised of the highest calibres of racing that Australian Universities have to offer.
Adelaide University
One of two non-NSW entries, the Adelaide University eight has had many strong and memorable results, with many of their crew members placing the podium at the state and national championship level. Hamish Allen will anchor the crew with a rumoured sub-six 2k ergo, whilst other notable members include Daniel Wiersema, Max Henry, Henry Southcott and Arthur Drayton who all have nationals medals to their names. The remainder of the crew are relatively new which is will add some intrigue to the South Australians performance. We should still expect this Adelaide University crew to be a hot contender for a podium though as they fly down the course alongside the Sydney based crews.
Monash University
This crew hasn’t been in the spotlight at many regattas, with many making their debut performance coming next week. The only person who has appeared in regattas is their cox, Arabella Hall who won Gold in the Men’s Open Eight and Club Eight at the Rowing Victoria State Championships and Silver at Nationals in the Victorian lightweight eight. Although most of this crew hasn’t raced against other crews from universities, the opportunity to prove themselves on a national stage will no doubt be fuel for Monash as they line up against the best programs in the country next week.
Sydney University
One of two entries of Sydney University, this crew brings vast racing experience, including: Oscar Beregi who won Silver in the U23 Men’s Eight for UTS; Finlay Mitchell and Samuel Basha who won the 1st VIII in the AAGPS Head of the River in 2024, with Samuel representing Australia and winning the U19 World Rowing Championships in the Men’s Coxed Four later that year. This crew is coached by Robert Black, winner at the 2016 and 2017 U23 World Rowing Championship, and Simon Huxley who coached at The Kings School, with two 1st VIII wins in 2021 and 2022. With the pedigree aboard this boat, expect the Gold and Blue of Sydney University to be right at the pointy end of this event once again.
Sydney University
The last entry for Sydney University Boat Club, this crew also displays a plethora of experienced rowers, many podiums at Nationals, their racing rhythm and aggression makes them a serious contender for a podium alongside the other Sydney University Crew. Some notable members include Will Rogers and Angus Ciesiolka who represented Australia earlier in the year at the U19 and U23 World Rowing Championships respectively. Jack Cullen, Angus Mitchell are no strangers to this squad, medalling earlier this year at Nationals in the U21 Men’s Coxed Eight. Both of these Sydney University combinations appear relatively equal on paper, so expect a close battle with their clubmates for a position on the podium.
University of NSW
Similar to Monash University, many of the members who are representing the University of NSW are making their entrance into university level rowing, with many only having raced once or twice earlier this year in previous regattas such as State Sprints or club-level regattas. The only notable member of this crew is Ryan Zhou who won gold in the Men’s Lightweight Quad Scull at this year’s State Championships for UTS. Although this may be a first national experience for most of these rowers, their spirit and determination has not left them out of the picture for a medal position. We can expect that this crew has been training hard behind the scenes, perfecting their technique and developing a strong desire to deliver a strong performance.
University of Technology Sydney
UTS brings to this event an impressive standard of athletes, who come with a range of high end results. Three will swap the sky blue of Sydney Rowing Club for the teal and black of UTS, including World Junior Champion Tomas Moloney, 2025 Henley Royal Regatta finallist Charlie Hine, and 2022 AAGPS Head of the River champion Nick Whalan. Some notable UTS members include Will Clubb, Luka Milozzi, Mitch Caponas, and Mackenzie Thompson who have all claimed medals at the State and National level for the Haberfield club in recent years. Expect UTS to be a leading crew as they thunder down the course and aim for a gold medal this next Thursday.
Prediction
I expect this race to be tight all the way. With UTS and Sydney University bringing a range of highly experienced rowers, we can expect a race that will go right to the line for the podium positions. I will pick UTS to claim a hard-fought Gold. As for the two other positions on the podium, I expect both Sydney University crews to follow close behind for Silver and Bronze.
