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By Katie Lane
Elizabeth “Libby” Hughes has been named the new David K. Richards ’61 Family Head Coach for Radcliffe Lightweight Rowing. Hughes comes to Radcliffe after spending five seasons as an assistant women’s lightweight rowing coach at Boston University.
“As a former lightweight rower myself, it is important to me that we continue to provide opportunities for smaller athletes to compete on the national stage,” Hughes said.
After graduating from William Smith College in 2014, Hughes competed as a lightweight rower, primarily representing Vesper Boat Club at the Canadian Henley Regatta, Under-23 World Championship Trials and Head of the Schuylkill, among other events. She draws on her own experiences managing the demands of elite competition in her work with lightweight athletes.
During her tenure at Boston University, the Terriers finished as high as second overall at the IRA National Championships while earning multiple IRA national titles, Eastern Sprints medals and Beanpot championships. Hughes coached the lightweight double to IRA national championships in 2024, 2025 and 2026, making Boston University the first program to win three consecutive titles in the event.
“Radcliffe Lightweight Rowing has such a strong history of excellence both on the water and in the classroom,” Hughes said. “I admire the hard work these athletes put in and want to continue helping them develop, find success in all facets of their lives and grow into the people they want to become.”
Hughes said her coaching philosophy and passion for the sport have been shaped by the coaches and mentors she’s had and worked with throughout her career. Her biggest takeaway is that “success is imminent if we can learn to find joy in the present, joy in the process and joy in every challenge we face along the way.”
“I don’t measure success by outcomes because that is ultimately outside of our control,” Hughes said. “Instead, I measure success by our process, which will ultimately guide us toward the outcome we desire. At the end of the day, if an athlete were given the opportunity to do this all over again and they would choose RVL, then we’ve done something right.”
Hughes attended and rowed at William Smith from 2010 to 2014, competing at four consecutive NCAA Division III Championships. She then returned to her alma mater, where she spent seven seasons on the coaching staff before joining Boston University in 2021. In addition, Hughes coached U23 programs at Vesper Boat Club and Riverside Boat Club, novice athletes at Radnor High School and Community Rowing Inc. Hughes recently earned a Master of Education in Applied Human Development with a specialization in sports coaching from Boston University.
