For many, the University Championships is the first test of the high-performance season; for others, it is the event they have prepared for over months. It is also the only regatta in the Australian calendar where athletes must attend the university they race for. As a result, crews tend to take different forms from the usual club boats in open racing. This year, the women’s coxed four has a strong field, with Australian representatives present in several boats and athletes from across the country competing for their universities.

Sydney University

This year, the Sydney University crew contains significant experience, with Nattey representing Australia at the U23 World Championships in the Women’s 4- this year, and Botha in the eight. She is joined by Wightman, Preller, and Coxswain Jureta, who all won several medals at the 2025 Australian Rowing Championships at Lake Barrington in March. The experience of this crew will make them formidable on the waters of Wyaralong Dam.

Melbourne University

The Melbourne University crew faces its traditional rivals, Sydney University, and also has some national-level talent this year. Lavery joined Nattey in the U23 Women’s coxless four in Bulgaria. She is joined by Hucker, Irvine, Kozckar, and Coxswain Schroder, who will be looking to overturn Sydney’s run of titles in this event.

Adelaide University

Adelaide University has fielded two crews this year. The McNally, Felderhof, Southcott, Graham, and Coxswain Tesch Ornelas crew have experience and talent on board. In particular, McNally represented South Australia at the Under 22 Oceania championships with a silver medal in the coxless four and in the Queens Cup at the Interstate Regatta in March. McNally and Felderhof also picked up several medals in under-21 events at the Australian Championships this year. They will be looking to race this event hard and learn before the Australian summer events kick off in January.

Australian National University (ANU)

The crew from ANU this year has some of the most experience aboard, with Kelly racing in underage and open events at state and national championships for the last several years. She is joined by Gulbin, Essam, Jones, and Coxswain Chadban. Each of the rowers has been competing in the ACT’s annual winter time trial series, a handicapped race over 4200 meters in the nation’s capital. Thus far over the series, Essam has ranked fifth in the women’s scull, with one event to go. This ANU crew will race hard out of the blocks, looking to overturn the classical powerhouse of Sydney University.

Prediction

There are five crews in addition to those above, with little past racing results, racing for gold in the coxed women’s four at the University Championships this year. That said, based on the information publicly available, I pick Sydney University for the top spot due to their experience and past results across the crew. The race for second will be tight between Melbourne University and Adelaide University; however, I believe Adelaide University will come out slightly in front of Melbourne University.