Sydney University Boat Club dominated the 2007 NSW Rowing Championships at the International Rowing Centre at Penrith on Saturday and Sunday, with the men?s and women?s crews taking out the elite championship eights and Renee Kirby finishing with five gold and one silver medals. Kirby won the Under 21 single scull, ahead of SUBC team-mate Chloe O?Regan, and the Under 23 single scull. She also won gold medals with the women?s eight, the women?s Under 21 quad scull and the women?s Under 21 eight. Her silver medal came in the women?s quad scull, where she teamed with Brooke Pratley, Liz Kell and O?Regan.
Kirby was stroke of the Australian women?s four, coached by SUBC?s Phil Bournuignon, which won the 2006 World Under-23 Championship.
In the overall championship for the NSW Rowing Honours Trophy the depth and excellence of Sydney University showed with the student team amassing 82 points for first place 57 points ahead of second-placed University of Queensland with 25 points. The Club finished two days of competition with 20 gold, 9 silver and 11 bronze medals.
The men?s elite championship eight of Jeremy Stevenson, Dan Noonan, Francis Hegerty, Tom Hirschmiller, Nick Hudson, Ian Allsop, Fergus Pragnell and cox Marty Rabjohns covered the 2000m Penrith course in 5:46.62 to defeat UTS (5:48.98) and the Sydney University 2 crew of Terrence Alfred, Mitch Estens, Richard Allsop, Ed Boyce, Miles Foran, Andrew Conolly, James Goswell, Justin Quigley and cox Toby Lister in 5:54.21.
The win by the men?s eight made it ?three in a row? for Sydney University with wins in 2005 and 2006. The win by the men?s eight in 2005 had broken a 30 year ?drought? in this prestige event
In the women?s championship eight, the Sydney University crew of Liz Kell, Renee Kirby, Brooke Pratley, Chloe O?Regan, Kate Beasley, Emma Costello, Bronwen Watson, Elsa O?Hanlon and cox Georgia McCaughan won in 6:35.29 ahead of UTS in6:40.63 and the Sydney University 2 crew of Alex Handley, Katie Robinson, Lucy Marshall, Kylie Grant, Sophie Coolican, Irma Kajan, Lauren Sedgman, Antonia Fong and cox Rachael Norton in 6:49.08.
The “double” in the men’s and women’s eights was a repeat of this “first ever’ achievement” of 2005.
In other results, the 2006 World Champions Brooke Pratley and Liz Kell won the women?s double scull, Dan Noonan won the men?s single scull, while Sydney University crews won gold medals in the men?s coxless pair, the men?s Under 23 coxless pair, the men?s double scull, the men?s coxless four, the men?s Under 21 eight, the men?s coxed four, the men?s Under 21 coxless pair, the men?s lightweight quad scull, the men?s lightweight eight, the women?s lightweight double scull, the women?s lightweight quad scull, the women?s Under 21 quad scull and the women?s Under 21 eight.