Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Bay rowing twins win spots at Yale

By by Carly Udy
Bay of Plenty Times·
26 Dec, 2009 05:00 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Identical twin brothers from Tauranga have convinced a selection panel they are worthy of attending the same university that produced five American presidents, 19  American supreme court judges and several foreign heads of state.
Year 13 Tauranga Boys' College leavers Peter and Matthew Brigwater have been accepted into Yale University in
New Haven, Connecticut.
The news has been met with  jubilation by the boys who,  like others they have shared their news with, are "kinda amazed".
The twins are two of three New Zealand teenagers accepted into the university for 2010.
Worldwide, Yale received 5200 applications and only selected 730 applicants.
The Bridgwater twins caught Yale's interest not only for their outstanding academic prowess but their  talent in sport.
The pair are rowers and along with Boys' College students Adam Ling and Toby Earp Cunliffe-Steel, last year won gold in the lightweight coxed four at the  secondary school nationals.
 They also won  the Great Race Secondary Schools River Race with Adam and Toby.
When looking for a university the boys' focus was on sport. They went to an online recruitment site and inquired at  Yale, Princeton and Harvard.
They had the most positive response from Yale, a private research university and the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States.
Before they applied, they sat SAT tests, which are scaled between 200 and 800.
Matthew impressively scored 800 in chemistry and 800 in physics.
Peter scored 800 in physics and 790 in chemistry.
Both boys plan to study economics and finance, and as part of their acceptance into Yale have agreed to row for the university for the duration of their study.
Their reason for searching for an overseas university to attend was  their love for rowing, the twins said.
"Lightweight rowing in New Zealand is just developing so it's hard to get the opportunities. In America, there is a whole lightweight league and a lot more opportunities, and opportunities to gauge where you're at," Peter said.
After their four years studying in the States, the boys plan to come back to New Zealand and try out for a national team.
In the meantime, they are working fulltime to help pay for their costs to study in the US. Their first semester will begin in September next year.
It would normally cost the Bridgwater brothers more than  US$50,000 ($70,000) to study at Yale but they have obtained financial aid which will help lower those costs. Having never been further abroad than Australia, the twins said it would be "a bit of an adventure".

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

Baywide rugby: Whaka look to break 19-year drought

Bay of Plenty Times

Netball: Magic narrowly lose to Pulse after scores still tied in final minutes

Bay of Plenty Times

Revealed: ‘Major milestone’ for education system announced by Government 


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Baywide rugby: Whaka look to break 19-year drought
Bay of Plenty Times

Baywide rugby: Whaka look to break 19-year drought

Whakarewarewa beat Greerton Marist 25-17 to reach the Baywide final.

14 Jul 05:17 AM
Netball: Magic narrowly lose to Pulse after scores still tied in final minutes
Bay of Plenty Times

Netball: Magic narrowly lose to Pulse after scores still tied in final minutes

14 Jul 04:28 AM
Revealed: ‘Major milestone’ for education system announced by Government 
Bay of Plenty Times

Revealed: ‘Major milestone’ for education system announced by Government 

14 Jul 04:00 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP