Seven Jesus rowers selected for Boat Race and Lightweight Boat Races

Seven Jesus students are representing Cambridge in the 2024 Boat Race and Lightweight Boat Races next week.

Cambridge University Boat Club (CUBC) will be hoping for another victory after a clean sweep for the light blues across both events last year. 

And this year there are two Jesuans at the helm. Jenna Armstrong (2020) and Seb Benzecry (2020) are the current presidents of CUBC, and they will be trying to row their respective blue boat (top heavyweight boat) crews to victory on Saturday March 30.

Both Seb and Jenna are returning rowers in the Cambridge crew. They were on last year's victorious blue boats and on the reserve boats in 2022. Seb was also in the winning crew in 2021, making this year his fourth Boat Race outing.

Seb, who is studying for a PhD in Film and Screen Studies, said: "There's a lot of emotion involved. You pour yourself into this process and at the end of it, it's to race eight people from Oxford and either you beat them or you don't and as the years and years go on I'm more and more caught up in that rivalry."

Jenna, who is in the fourth year of a PhD in Physiology researching the mitochondrial function of placentas, said: "Every year is so unique. It's a different group of women, a different culture, a different focus and as much as I cherish what we accomplished last season I want to allow this group of women to write their own story."

A further four Jesus students will be rowing for Cambridge in the Reserve Boat Race. Medic Freya Sutcliffe will stroke the women’s reserve boat Blondie while Dane Halkiw (MPhil Management), Sean Hayes (PhD Architecture) and Joe Travis (BA Music) will row in the men's reserve boat Goldie.

Charlotte Macey, (BA History of Art) who only started rowing last year as a first year with Jesus College Boat Club (JCBC) will row in the Lightweights Boat Race on Friday 29 March.

Jenna added: "JCBC is one of the best boat clubs we have on the river. They have done a phenomenal job of getting people who have never rowed before through their novice programme with a full-time novice coach up through their senior programme with a full-time senior coach and then putting them forward for development squad with CUBC and the athletes coming through the system have done incredibly well."

Jonathan Conder, Head Coach and Manager of JCBC, said: “It’s great to see so many Jesuans (seven) forming part of the CUBC crews this year and especially pleasing that both the CUBC open weight Presidents are Jesuans. Well done to both Seb Benzecry and Jenna Armstrong for being elected to lead their squads this year and being selected to their respective Blue Boats. Well done too to Charlotte Macey (women’s lightweights), Freya Sutcliffe (women’s reserves ‘Blondie’) Sean Hayes, Dane Halkiw, Joe Travis (men’s reserves ‘Goldie’) and Garret Overholser for your perseverance and dedication. Everyone at JCBC will be cheering you on and wishes you the best of luck.”

Times:

2.46pm Women’s Boat Race

3.01pm Women’s Reserve Race

3.16pm Men’s Reserve Race

3.46pm Men’s Boat Race
 

Find out more about the 2022 Boat Race, including where to watch the race if you’re travelling to London. You can also watch live coverage from 2pm on BBC One, iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.