The 2016 BNY Mellon Boat Races Presidents are Elected
The four clubs have announced their Presidents for The 2015-16 BNY Mellon Boat Races season.
After internal elections, the Cambridge clubs have elected Henry Hoffstot and Hannah Roberts who will be tasked with overturning a run of consecutive Oxford wins.
Henry Hoffstot will be in his third season at the CUBC, twice having stroked the Cambridge Blue Boat. The summer before arriving at Cambridge, Henry won the Britannia Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta in 2013 and then went on to earn a seat in the USA coxed pair for the 2014 World Championships in Amsterdam – between his Light Blue seasons. This is his final year studying Geography at Hughes Hall and aged 24, he will be one of the most experienced BNY Mellon Boat Race athletes.
20 year old Hannah Roberts will go into the next season at Cambridge as President of the CUWBC. A Natural Scientist studying at Jesus College, this will be Hannah’s third Newton Women’s Boat Race season having twice rowed in the Blondie crew. As with 2015 CUBC President Alexander Leichter, she hopes to make the jump up to the Blue Boat for the first time whilst managing the position of President. British student Hannah learned to row at Grosvenor Rowing Club in Chester through a learn to row scheme.
Their counterparts in Oxford will be Morgan Gerlak and Maddy Badcott, who will look to guide their clubs to fourth successive victories, which hasn’t happened in The Boat Race since the 1990s.
Morgan Gerlak will go into his second year at Oxford having won the Isis-Goldie Reserve Boat Race in 2015. He too will look to earn his first Blue whilst President, having already claimed an U23 World Championship Bronze medal in the USA coxless four in 2013. A graduate of Brown University, he won silver at the IRAs in 2012 and 2014. Now 23, he is studying for an MBA at Keble College. An Arsenal football fan, Morgan is an enthusiastic cyclist having started his endurance sport career with the discipline.
Maddy Badcott is going into her final year of studying English at Wadham College and returns after victory in The 2015 Newton Women’s Boat Race. Maddy learned to row at Lea Rowing Club, picking up medals at the National Schools’ Regatta and the British Championships ultimately earned a seat in the Great Britain women’s double scull at the Coupe de la Jeunesse in 2013 – winning gold. Along with her own history with London Youth Rowing, Maddy has worked with sporting charities and hopes to be involved with sports policy and facilitation in the future.
For the first time, both Presidents for The BNY Mellon Boat Race are American. It is the first American President of the OUBC since 1995. This will be the 162nd running of the Race.
The Presidents for The Newton Women’s Boat Race, in its 71st edition, are both third and final year undergraduates. Both Presidents learned to row through community programmes that brought rowing to a wider audience.
The 162nd Boat Race and The 71st Women’s Boat Race will take place on Sunday 27th March 2016. The Newton Women’s Boat Race will start at 15:10, with The BNY Mellon Boat Race an hour later at 16:10.