Three Sydney University rowers won medals competing for Australian Under 21 crews against New Zealand in the first leg of the 2014 Trans-Tasman series rowed at the Sydney International Rowing Centre at Penrith last week. The format for the series includes nine male and nine female rowers from each country competing in different boats over three days.
Day One included single sculls, pairs and lightweight double sculls, Day Two included fours and quads, and Day Three was for the eights.
Sydney University Boat Club member Alex Purnell was on the podium on each of the three days, winning the men’s single, and being part of the winning crews in the men’s quad sculls and the men’s eight. SUBC team-mate Franc Gourlas was coxswain in the winning men’s eight.
Sydney University’s Holly Lawrence was involved in two winning crews, in the women’s lightweight double and the women’s quad scull.
SUBC was also represented by Al Matthews, who was one of two national coaches for the Australian men’s team.
The second leg of the Trans-Tasman series will be raced at Lake Karapiro, Hamilton, New Zealand in late August