Boston University

Elizabeth "Libby" Hughes was named assistant coach of the Boston University lightweight rowing program in May of 2021. The 2024-25 campaign was her fourth season with the Terriers.

In the 2024-25 campaign, the Terriers finished third overall at the 2025 IRA National Championship Regatta. BU repeated as the Lightweight Double gold medalist while earning fourth in both the Lightweight 4+ and 8+. Earlier in the spring, BU regained the Beanpot title with a Varsity 8+ victory over Harvard-Radcliffe and MIT. The Terriers also repeated as Lightweight 8+ victors at the Knecht Cup to retain the Danielle Kousoulis Memorial Trophy. BU also captured the Ann Harris Smith Memorial Trophy with the program's first-ever Varsity 8+ gold medal. That success piggybacked a fall slate with success at the Head of the Charles Regatta in October of 2024, where BU's Lightweight 8+ posted the top collegiate time. The boat garnered its second straight silver medal in the event with a time of 16:29.965, just .689 seconds off the Australian club crew that was first. BU's top Championship Doubles crew also notched the fastest time among collegiate boats in 19:13.923.

The 2023-24 season saw BU finish third overall at the IRA National Championship Regatta. BU's Lightweight Double captured the program's fourth national title in the event at the IRA Championship. The Lightweight 4+ earned silver at the regatta for the third time in program history and first time since 2021. BU also earned the Konrad Ulbrich Team Trophy to win the Eastern Sprints for the third time ever, and first since 2019.

Following the spring, Hughes and BU competed in the famed Henley Women's Regatta for the first time in the program's tenure in the summer of 2024. All five of BU's entries advanced through their time trials, and the Terrier Four reached the semifinals in the Aspirational Academic 4-.

After the 2023-24 spring season, Hughes and the coaching staff were named the CRCA Lightweight National and Regional Staff of the Year. She helped senior Maecy Rickman receive CRCA All-American honors for the first time in her career, while four Terriers were named CRCA Scholar-Athletes.

In Hughes' first two seasons, the Terriers finished second at the IRA National Championship Regatta in consecutive years, winning four medals across the double sculls and Lightweight 4. BU has won the Beanpot in both seasons over Harvard-Radcliffe and MIT as well.
 
Hughes arrived at BU after serving as an assistant coach of William Smith College for the previous seven seasons. In 2016, Hughes helped lead the Herons to their sixth consecutive Liberty League Championship and the Liberty League's first automatic berth in the NCAA Rowing Championship. The Herons were also named novice crew of the year in 2015 and 2017. In addition, Hughes served as U23 women's head lightweight coach at Vesper Rowing in the summer of 2017 and 2018, and also the U23 men's and women's head coach at Vesper during the summer of 2019.
 
A native of Orient, N.Y., Hughes graduated from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in 2014 with a bachelor's degree in architectural studies. As a student-athlete, she was as a member of the varsity eight boat and competed in four straight NCAA Championships, finishing third in the varsity eight as a junior. Hughes also earned a bronze medal at the ECAC National Invitational Rowing Championships and won three consecutive gold medals at both the New York State Championships and the Liberty League Championships.
 
Following both her junior and senior seasons, Hughes and the rest of the Heron varsity eight were voted the Liberty League Crew of the Year. She was also the recipient of the 2014 Marion Harrison Greene '20 Award, which is presented to a William Smith senior student-athlete whose accomplishments made a significant impact on her team and Heron Athletics. 
 
As a member of the Vesper Boat Club lightweight 4x, Hughes finished second at the U.S. Trials for the 2014 U23 World Championships. A year earlier, she finished third in the lightweight single scull at the U.S. Trials for the U23 World Championships.
 
In addition to her success at the U23 U.S. Trials, Hughes captured six gold medals with the Vesper Boat Club in 2014, earning two at the Canadian Henley, two in the Independence Day Regatta, one at Club Nationals, and one at the Head of the Schuylkill.