St Catherine's College Rowing Society
President: Colin Smith
Vice Presidents: Neil Chugani, Richard Peters, Sir Matthew Pinsent CBE, Ben Sylvester, Zoe de Toledo, Andrew Triggs Hodge OBE.

The Benjamin F. Sylvester Jr Award

The winner of the 2021 award is
Ilayda Karadag

Ilayda Karadag (centre) in the Women's 1st Torpid

[BFS Award]

Those who nominated Ilayda said

... Ilayda has ensured that rowing at Catz could continue during the coronavirus pandemic. Back in Michaelmas we were the first Catz club to be approved to restart, after Ilayda had single-handedly written thorough risk assessments and COVID protocols...

... Ilayda gives so much of her time behind the scenes to organising boat club events and always gives 100% in the boat at training. Her contribution has really made the difference in the club this year, particularly with organising training camp ...

Also nominated were Abby Hespe, Kan Li and Eugenio Vecchi.

Background of the Award

At the North American alumni reunion on March 16, 2002, Sir Peter Williams announced the establishment of an award to commemorate the splendid and varied contributions made by Benjamin F. Sylvester, Jr to the College. The award has been funded by the St Catherine's College (Oxford) Foundation.
A Benjamin F. Sylvester, Jr medal will be given annually to the member of the Boat Club who has most significantly contributed to enhancing the rowing life of St Catherine's College, Oxford.
Names of winners will also be displayed on a plaque to be mounted in the boathouse club room. Nominations will be solicited from members of the Boat Club and will be judged by a committee of former College oarsmen. The medal, designed by Dana Edmondson, depicts a Catherine wheel comprised of oars on a background of water. At the ends of the oars are flames symbolizing warmth and illumination. At the center of the medal is the crest of St Catherine's College, Oxford.

Design for the Benjamin F. Sylvester, Jr medal
[BFS Medal]

Previous Winners

2020 Chloe Bregazzi
2019 Jakob Kaeppler (Rachel Craig-McFeeley proxime accessit)
2018 Holly Smith
2017 Georgios Ntentas
2016 James Wills (Alice Pickthall proxime accessit)
2015 Miriam Mahmoud
2014 Ben Baron
2013 Joshua Morgan
2012 Joanna Harrall
2011 Theresa Kevorkian (Phillip McCullough proxime accessit)
2010 Jack Plummer
2009 Anu Dudhia (Special Award)
2009 Malcolm Spencer
2008 James Dunbar (Dane van den Akker proxime accessit)
2007 Michael Tran (Katharine Pierce proxime accessit)
2006 Darren Chadwick (Michael Tran proxime accessit)
2005 Steve Wicks
2004 Dan Robson
2003 Mike Bull
2002 Emily Woodeson
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