Tomorrow, the Light Blues of Cambridge will embark on a storied tradition. Splitting into matched crews, they will tackle the full Championship course, head-to-head, in the closest approximation of the full Boat Race experience: Trial Eights.
Originally used as a selection tool to test an eight of newcomers to the squad against CUBC veterans, Trial Eights is now used by both Cambridge and Oxford more as a tool to garner experience – both for the athletes and, crucially, for the coxes. Selection is still very much an emphasis when it comes to Trial Eights, and with telemetry data recording the full piece from each seat, coaches can granularly analyse the performance of each athlete. Individual performance, then, is vital.
The Cambridge openweight men have broken down into eights named ‘Slop’ and ‘Beans’ this year – reportedly a reference to foodstuffs consumed between sessions at the Ely boathouse. As I’ll detail in this preview, there’s no shortage of talent on the Cambridge team at the moment. In fact, I think this might be the best depth that the Light Blues have ever seen, with a formidable top end, too. For this preview I’ll be breaking down the crews seat-by-seat, detailing the personnel and offering a direct comparison across the crews.
At the end, I’ll make my best guess at which of these eights is going to win – though if the coaches have done their jobs well, these eights should be as close as possible coming through the finish line in Mortlake.
Cox
Sammy Houdaigui
Sammy Houdaigui - 🇺🇸/🇲🇦
A double U23 World Rowing Championship medallist (bronze in the USA coxed four in 2023 and silver a year later in the eight), Dartmouth alumnus Houdaigui will be steering ‘Slop’ down the Championship course this week. He’s a massively experienced racer and has already made waves with the Light Blues, coxing CUBC to HOCR glory just a couple of months ago, and the top lightweight four to a win at Fours Head last month. Navigating the Tideway always presents some challenges, however, and his relative lack of experience on the course might be his sole weakness.
Freya Jenkinson
Freya Jenkinson - 🇬🇧
Jenkinson is a home-grown talent, picking up coxing at Cambridge’s Selwyn College and rising through the ranks to overall captain of the Selwyn College Boat Club. Coxing at Cambridge is a real trial by fire – navigating the congested waters of the Cam is a test for even the most seasoned cox – and learning the trade there produces savvy, focused coxes. Coxing ‘Beans’ is a real call-up for Jenkinson, and she’ll be eager to face the challenge.
Verdict
Definite advantage to ‘Slop’ here with the vastly experienced Houdaigui at the helm.
Stroke
George Dickinson
George Dickinson - 🇬🇧/🇺🇸
Perhaps best remembered for stroking the greatest junior eight of all time – the 2018 St Paul’s first VIII – Dickinson has returned to rowing following a brief hiatus after completing four successful years with the Princeton Lightweight programme. As a Tiger, Dickinson rowed in the 1V each year, and stroked the Lightweight 1V to Eastern Sprints and IRA Championships victories in 2023. Dickinson is a rare talent in the stroke seat, and is exceptionally powerful for his weight and size – he’s a real asset for the Light Blues this year.
Pat Wild
Pat Wild - 🇬🇧
The youngster on the team and another ex-St Paul’s rower, Wild is the sole fresher in these two eights. It’s a testament to his ability that he has been given the responsibility of stroking by Head Coach Rob Baker – but those in the know won’t be surprised. Wild was a force to be reckoned with in junior rowing, competing at the U19 World Rowing Championships three times – first in the pair in 2023, then in the coxless four in 2024 (winning a silver), and finally in 2025, where he and fellow Pauline Alp Karadogan won a historic gold for GB in the pair. He’s also a Henley winner, capturing The Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup in 2024, six years after Dickinson’s win. Undeniably Wild is a name to watch as he continues to develop under Baker’s stewardship.
Verdict
Tricky to call. Both grew up rowing on the Championship Course, and both were part of some of the finest junior crews in the world. Dickinson’s experience is undeniable, though, and his talent in the stroke seat is massive. I’m going with slight advantage to ‘Slop.’
Seven
Will Klipstine
Will Klipstine - 🇺🇸
Klipstine is the latest in a line of former Wisconsin rowers that have joined the Light Blues post-graduation – a lineage that includes 2022 Blue James Bernard and Boat Race winners Luke Juckett and Ben Ruble from back in 2016. Klipstine rowed in the Wisconsin varsity, and also represented the USA at the U23 World Rowing Championships in 2024, finishing 13th in the coxless four. Klipstine is a bit of a wildcard this year, but has by all accounts gone from strength to strength over the past couple of months. His placement at seven here is a pretty good indication of how much potential Head Coach Rob Baker sees in Klipstine; earning a seat in this year’s Blue Boat is undoubtedly on the cards.
Gabe Obholzer
Gabe Obholzer - 🇬🇧
Arguably the strongest athlete across both Cambridge and Oxford squads this year, Obholzer is the powerhouse of the group. He’s a British record holder for the U18 2000m on the ergo, and likely has the fastest 5K time across both squads, too. A Harvard alumnus and a two-time U23 gold medallist in the GB eight, Obholzer is certainly one to watch for the future of British rowing. His placement at seven is interesting – he would usually be found closer to the middle of the boat – but given his excellent pairing with Wild at the recent GBRT Trials in Caversham, Head Coach Baker might well be testing the combination as a pairing within the framework of the bigger boat.
Verdict
Both are excellent oarsmen, but I’m going to have to give the advantage to ‘Beans’ here; Obholzer is massively powerful, and will be leading from the front.
Six
Simon Nunayon
Simon Nunayon - 🇬🇧
Nunayon enters his second year with Cambridge, having been part of the successful Goldie crew at the Boat Race last year. An ex-Eton and Harvard oarsman, with an U23 gold to his name (the GB eight in 2021), Nunayon is an absolute powerhouse, and technical strides over the past few months have seen him earn the coveted six seat. Making the Blue Boat will be very much on Nunayon’s mind at this stage in the season and I think we’ll see some serious watts applied here.
Lexi Maclean
Lexi Maclean - 🇦🇺/🇬🇧
A senior international from Australia, Maclean dons Light Blue for the first time in Trial Eights – he missed HOCR back in October, still recovering from the Shanghai World Championships. Maclean began his rowing journey at The King’s School, Parramatta, before heading to Yale and spending four years with the Bulldogs. For Australia, Maclean rowed twice in the U23 eight (2022 and 2023) before stepping up to the senior plate. He’s another exceptionally powerful oarsman, boasting a sub-5:50 2K time on the ergo.
Verdict
Both of these guys are very strong, but I think Maclean has the edge in terms of international racing experience. Advantage ‘Beans’.
Five
Simon Hatcher
Simon Hatcher - 🇺🇸
Hatcher was one of the standouts of last year’s Cambridge setup. A former Brown athlete that oscillated between the programme’s first and second varsity boats – hampered frequently by injury – Hatcher came into his own at Cambridge. He is a ferocious racer and supremely effective on the water, with an enviable power-to-weight to match. With two HOCR titles and a Boat Race win to his name already, and several more years to go with CUBC, I think we will see Hatcher as a mainstay of the CUBC Blue Boats for the next three years.
Leonard Brahms
Leonard Brahms - 🇩🇪
Brahms joined CUBC from Cal Berkeley this year, though his journey began back in Germany, at Ruderverein Leer. He’s a double-U23 World Rowing Championship athlete from the German coxed four in 2022 and 2023. As part of the phenomenally deep Cal programme, Brahms tended to hang around the second and third varsity boats, but it is clear that he has stepped on pretty significantly already at CUBC; he rowed at seven in the HOCR-winning eight in October, and is firmly in the running for a spot in this year’s Blue Boat.
Verdict
I’m going to go with a ‘Slop’ advantage here, though Brahms has some serious pedigree.
Four
Alex Finger
Alex Finger - 🇩🇪
A decorated German athlete, Finger was part of the German quad that took bronze at World Rowing Cup III back in 2024; he rowed at the U23 World Rowing Championships in 2022 and 2023. He’s taken well to sweep while at CUBC, rowing in the second VIII at HOCR, and has been continuing to step on since. With formidable power to weight, Finger is making a good case for himself in the ongoing battle for Boat Race selection.
Felix Rawlinson
Felix Rawlinson - 🇬🇧
One of the best-known faces at Cambridge this year, Rawlinson joins the small group of athletes that have rowed for both Oxford and Cambridge; he was part of the losing Oxford Blue Boat at the 2025 Boat Race. Before that, Rawlinson rowed at Radley, Thames and Dartmouth, and picked up a U23 World Rowing Championship gold along the way. He is a relentlessly determined athlete, massively tenacious, and will have his sights firmly set on winning next year’s Boat Race. He was part of the winning HOCR combination in October, and despite some reported injury, seems to be continuing to step on.
Verdict
Very close between these two seats: both are strong athletes with international experience, and while Rawlinson sat in the top eight at HOCR, by all accounts the gap has closed. I think this one is too close to call.
Three
Calvin Tarczy
Calvin Tarczy - 🇬🇧
Another St Paul’s rower, Tarczy was also part of that record-smashing 2018 St Paul’s first VIII. He’s had an incredibly impressive career since then, picking up a total of four World Rowing Championship gold medals across junior and U23 level; rowing in the Harvard varsity, and winning the Visitors’ Challenge Cup with Leander. He’s one of the most experienced athletes in this whole field, and will bring power and tenacity to the three seat in ‘Slop’.
Kyle Fram
Kyle Fram - 🇺🇸
One of the older athletes in this field, Fram learned to row at Lawrenceville in New Jersey before spending four years in the Columbia 1V, graduating in 2020. Fram has spent the past few years working in Singapore, during which time he has become particularly adept in the single scull, racing across Asia and Oceania. It’s always interesting to see guys come back to the university setup later in their careers – it’s one of the fun quirks of the Boat Race – and I think Fram is a real dark horse here.
Verdict
It’s an interesting battle in the three seat. On paper, Tarczy certainly has the more experience as an international oarsman; but Fram has already proved his talent, earning a spot in the top HOCR boat over Tarczy. Plenty can change in a couple of months, however, and I do think that Tarczy, on his home water, has the slight edge – advantage ‘Slop’.
Two
Noam Mouelle
Noam Mouelle - 🇫🇷
Cambridge’s President this year, three-time Boat Race winner Mouelle occupies the two seat – a seat that he’s pretty familiar with, rowing there in both the 2024 and 2025 Blue Boats. Mouelle learned to row at the Société Nautique du Perreux in the suburbs of Paris before rowing at Imperial College, while also rowing for France at U23 level.A true veteran of the race and a calmly determined presence, Mouelle is exceptionally well placed to lead this talented Cambridge squad this year, and will bring his experience and poise to the two seat.
Raphael Berz
Raphael Berz - 🇨🇦
Berz is a former Yale Lightweight, graduating in 2023 after two years of racing with the Bulldogs’ lightweight 1V. He represented Canada at the U23 World Rowing Championships back in 2021 in the double, finishing third in the C-final. He brings dynamism and precision to the two seat, and will be driving ‘Beans’ from the front.
Verdict
An advantage to Mouelle in Slop here – the President’s experience, in his most comfortable seat, is unparalleled across both boats.
Bow
Matt Morgan
Matt Morgan - 🇬🇧
Technical, long and loose, Morgan is a perfect choice for the bow seat in ‘Slop’. He rowed in the winning Goldie eight at the last Boat Race, and before that was a mainstay of the Edinburgh first eights. He struggled somewhat with injury last season – not unlike his counterpart in ‘Beans’, Luke Beever – but has found a little more consistency of late. As an athlete, I think Morgan tends to fly a little under the radar, but he is a great asset for the Light Blues: a calm, confident presence with a real dynamism in the boat that will work wonders at bow.
Luke Beever
Luke Beever - 🇬🇧
The third Blue in this field, Beever completes the list at bow of ‘Beans’. A former King’s Worcester junior sculler, Beever has gone from strength to strength as part of the Light Blue programme, rowing in Goldie in 2023 and 2024 before earning his spot in an exceptional Blue Boat for the 2025 season. It was a dramatic selection decision – Beever ended up beating out Harvard oarsman Tom Macky in a seat race run after the crews had already been formally announced for the Boat Race. His clinical and precise performance at three in the 2025 Blue Boat, despite only having rowed in the crew for a couple of weeks, is testament to his maturity and technical prowess.
Verdict
Another close call; both of these athletes are great technical rowers and similar builds. I think Beever has the edge, though, with more overall Boat Race experience and a pretty compelling Blue Boat performance to his name. Advantage to ‘Beans’.
As much as the exercise of seat-by-seat comparison is compelling, in the case of Trial Eights, I think it has little bearing on how the race will pan out. These eights are designed to be as close as possible, and victory in Trial Eights comes down to how a crew gels together much more frequently than individual personnel.
That being said, with no prior races to go on, we can only look at the names we have on paper. With that in mind, I think the ever-so-slightly stronger crew looks to be Slop, and I would expect them to have the edge on Thursday.
What is absolutely apparent is that CUBC has a wealth of talent unlike practically any Boat Race squad we’ve seen before. Outside of the athletes named in these Trial Eights, there are several notable absences (due to injury or otherwise) – Olympian Fred Breuer, multiple winning Blue Matt Edge, winning Blue Brett Taylor, winning Goldie rowers Sean Hayes, Orlando Morley, Joe Travis and Thomas Connor, ex-St Paul’s, Dartmouth and Thames RC athlete Max Deering, ex-Columbia lightweight Gil Dexter… and the list goes on. The depth of this Cambridge squad is overwhelming, and I think it is a team that will be able to produce something pretty special this year.
Best of luck to both crews.
Five Man
