Pioneers of women's rowing
St Hilda's College was one of the first Oxford colleges to have women rowing on the Thames and the first to field a women's 8+ boat. Its boat club was founded soon after the college's creation, between 1893-96, and its members first rowed in an 8+ in 1911. [1] [2] It was St Hilda's student H.G. Wanklyn who formed OUWBC and coxed in the inaugural Women's Boat Race of 1927, with five Hilda's rowers. In 1969, the St Hilda's Eight made Oxford history when they became the first ever female crew to row in the Summer Eights. [3]
In the 1980s, Hilda's rowers Alison Gill and Pauline Janson were Olympians. [4]
Recent years
After 1976, the Women's 1st VIII consistently competed in the first division of both the Torpids and Summer Eights competitions, placing second on the river in 1981. After the admittance of men to the college in 2008, performance declined and the crew is currently placed in division three of both competitions. [5]
Since 2009 the men's boat has steadily climbed the Torpids and Summer Eights leagues, most recently reaching division three of Torpids in 2022 and remaining in division four of Summer Eights. [6]
'Blades' have recently been achieved by the women's team in 2016 and 2019, and by the men's team in 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2022. In 2016, the men's first boat was bumped in their 28th Summer Eights race, for the first time. [7]
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