STANFORD AT THE 2026 BOAT RACE
Four Cardinal, Two Boats, One Historic Result
For more than 150 years, Oxford and Cambridge have squared off on the River Thames in The Boat Race, one of rowing's oldest and most storied rivalries. This spring, Stanford had a rare and remarkable stake in the outcome: four Cardinal alumni raced in the event, three of them in the same boat.
The Oxford Women delivered the result of the day. They took the lead early and never relinquished it, defeating Cambridge by three lengths in a time of 19:15 to end Cambridge's eight-year winning streak and secure Oxford's first win in the event since 2016. Three Stanford alumnae were part of that crew: Emily Molins '24, Julietta Camahort '25, and Esther Briz Zamorano '22.
We're not aware of another recent instance of Stanford having three athletes in the same Boat Race crew, which makes this year's result all the more significant.
Each rower brought a distinct Stanford story to the boat. Molins made the leap to the openweight lineup after rowing lightweight at Stanford, a path also taken by Christine Cavallo '17 for Oxford's 2022 crew. Camahort came in as part of the Cardinal's 2024 NCAA Championship team. And Briz Zamorano arrived with world-class experience already under her belt, having represented Spain at the 2024 Paris Olympics and earned multiple gold medals in international beach sprints.
The men's race told a different story. Cambridge came in unbeaten all season and considered among the fastest crews in the world, and they rowed like it, controlling the race from the start before pulling away in the closing stretch to win by three and a half lengths in 17:57. It was Cambridge's fourth consecutive victory and extended their all-time lead in the series to 89–81. Racing for Oxford was Stanford's James Fetter, '25, whose road to the Thames is a story worth telling on its own. Fetter joined the Stanford team as a walk-on with no prior competitive rowing experience and went on to earn IRCA First Team All-American honors.
Four Cardinal alumni. Two Oxford boats. One historic streak-breaker. The Boat Race is a reminder that Stanford's influence on the sport extends well past Redwood Shores and into rowing's biggest international stages.
