VICTORIA  - The UBC Thunderbirds delivered an impressive performance on the Gorge Waterway on Saturday, sweeping the featured Brown Cup varsity races with commanding wins from both the men's and women's crews. It was a sixth-consecutive Brown Cup victory for the T-Birds men's varsity squad while the UBC women's team earned their first three-peat in the 33rd edition of the historic event. In the Campbell-Dowd reserve events, the Thunderbird men successfully defended their title, while the women were narrowly edged by the Vikes in the closest contest of the day. 



The men's reserve race opened the regatta and immediately set the tone for a day of hard-fought racing. UVic took an early lead, but UBC responded quickly, with coxswain Eddie Lalonde guiding the crew back to level by the halfway mark just past the Trestle Bridge. Stroke Peter Scaccabarozzi set a confident rhythm through the long stretch of the Gorge toward Johnson Street, and the Thunderbirds gradually pulled away to secure a five-second victory.



The women's reserve race appeared poised to give UVic its first win of the day as the Vikes came through the Trestle with a one-length advantage however UBC refused to yield, clawing their way back to level and then inching ahead as both crews sprinted for the finish. UVic ultimately benefited from the final turn and used that advantage to claim a razor-thin victory by just 0.3 seconds.



The premier events followed, with both UBC varsity crews aiming to defend their Brown Cup titles. In the men's varsity race, the Thunderbirds established an early lead off the line and continued to press the pace despite a strong push from UVic. By the midway point, UBC had opened up a lead of more than a length and showed no signs of backing off. The Vikes stayed in contention through to the finish, but the Thunderbirds secured the Brown Cup with a decisive nine-second win.



The final race of the day, the varsity women's event, unfolded in a fashion similar to the 2025 contest, with UBC applying composed, steady pressure to move clear of the Vikes. Mindful of UVic's ability to challenge after defeating UBC at the Western Canadian University Rowing Championships in the fall, the Thunderbirds left no opening for a comeback. UBC surged through the second half of the course and sealed the victory with an eight-second margin, once again etching its name on the Brown Cup trophy.



"It was a fitting way for all of our Thunderbird crews to end their spring season," said UBC Men's head coach Mike Pearce. "All of the races were well contested, and our crews had to commit to their race plans and maintain a very high level of internal focus to earn their wins today."



VIDEO REPLAY HERE

Next for the Thunderbirds, men's squad, is the Mountain Pacific Sport Federation Championships in Sacramento, California May 17.
 

BROWN CUP CREWS
1V 8+	Shell - Gold for Life			1V 8+	Shell - Hudson USP
Coxswain	Oscar Wostenholme*			Coxswain	Izzy Howley*
Stroke	Adrian	Breen		Stroke	Gaby Worobec*
7	Smit	Liam		7	Gabby Yarema*
6	Maijken	Meindertsma*		6	Haley Klien*
5	Bartel	Owen		5	Natasha Witts
4	Oliver	Page-Kuhr*		4	Willow Cherewaty
3	Walsh	Robert		3	Maddy Vandermeer
2	Matthias	Shorter*		2	Claire Hallett*
Bow	Buchheit	Ben		Bow	Ellen Marion*
	*Grads				*Grads
RESERVE CREWS - Campbell-Dowd Cup
2V 8+	Shell - Karel Jonker			2V 8+	Shell - Hillary Janssens
Coxswain	Edward Lalonde			Coxswain	Isabelle Chung
Stroke	Peter	Scaccabarozzi		Stroke	Emelie Lustig*
7	Sowle	Henry		7	Nikki Deschenes
6	Ben	Maijer		6	Alex Duggan
5	Durcak	Braden		5	Alex Cain
4	Charlie	Hovermale		4	Willa Pepin*
3	Hawkins	Will		3	Morgan Harris-Stoertz
2	Declan	Blue		2	Abi Nicholson
Bow	Harris	Jack		Bow	Bronwy