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Men's Crew Alums Weiss '15, Meeks '17 Set to Face Off in 164th Annual Boat Race
3/19/2018 12:00:00 AM | Men's Crew
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PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Former Brown University men's crew teammates Anders Weiss '15 and Finn Meeks '17 will row against each other in one of the premier races of the year when the two standouts compete in The Cancer Research UK Boat Race on Saturday, March 24 on the River Thames in London.
The Boat Race is an annual contest between two rowing crews from Oxford and Cambridge Universities that takes place each year on the River Thames in southwest London between Putney and Mortlake. One of the oldest active sporting events in the world, the first men's boat race took place in 1829 in Henley on Thames following a challenge between old school friends, and since the second race in 1836 the contest has taken place in London.
Weiss is set to row in the fourth seat for Oxford at this year's event, while Meeks will row in the sixth seat for Cambridge, as the two former teammates battle in one of the most historic events of the sport in front of thousands of spectators along the banks of the River Thames. The race will be broadcast live on BBC1 and streamed live on YouTube. The men's boat race will start at 1:32 PM ET.
"The history and tradition of the Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge is unparalleled in our sport, and it's a huge honor to be able to compete in it," said Meeks. "While we had a few big rowing rivalries at Brown, none of them were quite as big as Oxford-Cambridge. At Brown, we competed in several dual and championship races every spring, here we spend the entire season preparing for just the one against Oxford."
Weiss and Meeks are both full-time students at their respective institutions in the United Kingdom. Weiss is studying for an MBA at the University of Oxford's Saïd Business School, while Meeks is working on the one-year MPhil in the Management program at Cambridge's Judge Business School.
Brown crew has a longstanding tradition of alums moving on to compete at the annual Boat Race including Joel Scrogin '98, Luke McGee '01, Terence Kooyker '05, Ben Harrison '07 and Morgan Gerlak '14 for Oxford, and Malcolm Baker '91 and Alex Fleming '12 for Cambridge, although the 164th contest will now feature two alums in rival boats.
"I was happy to see that my former teammate and fellow Brown alum would be racing against me on the 24th of March," said Weiss, after earning one of the coveted seats in the race. "I eagerly anticipate this race as both teams will have some of the Bruno spirit that I came to love during my time at Brown."
The two rowers bring a long list of accolades to their new programs. Weiss, a native of Barrington, R.I. and two-time All-Ivy selection, competed in the men's pair at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Meeks served as Brown's team captain in 2017 as a three-year member of the varsity boat with three straight appearances in the national grand finals. Both rowers are U23 Silver medalists in the US Men's 8+, Weiss in 2013 and Meeks in 2015.
"Brown Crew breeds a lot of competitive racers and I think the highly competitive head to head nature of the Boat Race is part of what has drawn Brown crew alumni to study and row here over the years," said Meeks. "Having rowed in the same boats as Anders at Brown, I know he's a great rower and competitor. It's exciting to now be able to row against him."
Fans can visit The Boat Race website for more information and coverage of this year's event.
