BERKELEY – Morgan Hellen '16 and Team Great Britain raced to a gold medal finish in the Men's Four at the 2016 World University Championships last weekend. Team GB crossed the line with a time of 6:00.31, ahead of Italy, Poland, and the Netherlands.
 
The championships, organized by the International University Sports Federation (FISU) are held every two years and feature university-age students from around the world representing their respective countries.
 
"Training for the World University Championships alongside the British Olympic Teams was exciting and challenging, but the work I had done at Cal put me in a strong position to excel" said Hellen. "The training paid off with a victory over the Polish team which was comprised of many Olympians."
 
Hellen's career as a Golden Bear was highlighted by both Pac-12 and IRA championships in the 2016 season after three years of top three finishes at Pac-12 and IRA Championships. Hellen was a member of the Bears Varsity Eight for three seasons and was an instrumental piece to last season's championship team.
 
"I owe much of my success to Coach (Mike) Teti and the great group of guys on the team at Cal who have forced me to improve and demand the best from myself; through the training and racing this summer, I could still hear Teti's voice coaching me in my head!"
 
Hellen will return to the Training Centre shortly and hopes to earn a spot on the senior national team.
 
"I'm excited for this new challenge and hope to continue the success that we had at Cal to the next level of international rowing with the British team."