Savannah Adamo will bring glamor to this year’s regatta with Oxford and Cambrige dueling on the River Thames this Saturday.
The American, 24, has been named part of Cambridge’s 30-strong squad for the historic event, in which the Light Blues will look to defend their title after wresting the Newton Trophy from their rivals in 2023.
Adamo, a native of Ladera Ranch, California, is a graduate student at Peterhouse College studying Digital Humanities.
He’s swapped the sunny beaches of California for the River Thames and could act as a coxswain: the team member who looks forward, steers the ship, and motivates other crew members.
In September he was part of the Cambridge University Yacht Club that traveled to attend the Head of Shanghai River Regatta, in China, where he coxed the second team.
Camebridge student Savannah Adamo to bring glamor to this year’s regatta
The postgraduate has been named part of the 30-person Cambridge team for the event
He moved to the UK last year, after graduating from the University of California.
Last year, Adamo graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, before moving to the UK, swapping the stunning beaches and coastline of California for the River Thames.
In addition to rowing, Adamo also enjoys horseback riding and skiing during the winter.
During his studies at Berkley, he earned several honors, including piloting their boats to the Eric Will Trophy and the IRA National Championship.
He also won the Pac-12 championship in 2022 and 2023 with Berkley, as well as the San Diego Crew Classic.
She says she first tried rowing because she was introduced to the sport after attending boarding school.
“I was going to attend a boarding school (Kent School) that offered rowing and I was excited to try it out to meet new friends and get involved in a sport that was a very important part of the school’s culture,” she said during an interview with the website Boat Race official.
When asked what winning the regatta would mean to her, she replied: “Everything.”
He has earned several honors with Berkley, leading his team to the IRA National Championship.
She is enrolled at Peterhouse College and is currently studying Digital Humanities (MPhil).
When asked what winning the regatta would mean to her, she replied: “Everything.”
Aside from rowing, Adamo also enjoys horseback riding and skiing during the winter.
He was part of the Cambridge University Yacht Club team that participated in the Shanghai Regatta in September.
Of studying Digital Humanities at Cambridge, she added: “Taking this course is a unique offering that Cambridge has to offer and I feel very grateful to be able to learn about these digital methods of today and, inevitably, our future.”
This Saturday’s race will be the 169th time the Oxford and Cambridge men’s teams have faced each other and the 78th time the women’s teams have also done so.
The race will start in Putney and finish in Mortlake, with approximately 250,000 people lining the banks of the Thames for the race.
This year rowers were asked to take precautions before the race and scientists urged competitors to cover any cuts and “avoid swallowing river water” after testing revealed high levels of E. coli along the course near Fulham Reach Boat Club.
“I was excited to try it (rowing) to meet new friends and get involved in a sport that was a very important part of the school culture,” she said of how she got into the sport.
He also won the San Diego Crew Classic in 2023 and the Pac-12 Championship in 2022.
Adamo said she was “grateful” to study Digital Humanities, adding that the course offered a “unique offering”.
The bacteria was discovered during regular testing carried out by River Action between February 28 and March 26.
Both teams have been warned not to take part in the tradition of throwing the winning helmsman into the river amid dangerous levels of E.coli.
Last year, Cambridge won each of the four races and the men’s teams now lead Oxford by 86 wins to 81, while the women’s teams also lead with 47 wins to their rivals’ 30.