Sailing Earns Fourth Consecutive NEISA Open Fleet Racing Championship

The Harvard sailing team continued its dominant spring season at a series of races this past weekend. Most notably, the team secured its fourth consecutive NEISA Open Fleet Racing Championship at the Coast Guard Alumni Bowl in Cranston, R.I. At the NEISA Women’s Fleet Racing Championship, in New London, Conn., the Crimson finished third, falling just behind Yale and Brown, who nabbed first and second places, respectively.

NEISA Open Fleet Racing Championship

At the NEISA Open Fleet Racing Championship, Harvard senior Justin Callahan and freshman Jacob Posner excelled on the water in the A division. The senior-freshman duo was able to go 2-1-1-4 across its first four races of the day. The Crimson’s other pair — senior Mitchell Callahan and junior Rosella Irfan — had a bit of a slower start in the B division of the race. Mitchell Callahan and Irfan went 9-12-10 to open the day, before spurring an impressive rally. The team then closed out the first day of racing with five finishes within the top six, placing second, third, first, fifth, and then sixth to wrap up the day.

The successful comeback positioned Harvard comfortably in first place overall as the first day of races came to a close.

The dreary weather on Sunday prevented races from occurring as scheduled, so just two races were contested on the final day of racing. Justin Callahan and Posner had a relatively less successful second day, placing third and ninth in the final two races. Mitchell Callahan and Irfan, meanwhile, were able to finish fourth and second in the B division, rounding out the competition for the Crimson.

Thanks to the A boat’s 44 points and the B boat’s 54 points, Harvard was able to win its fourth straight NEISA Open Fleet Racing Championship with its overall score of 98. The Crimson ousted the Brown Bears, who finished in second place with their 103 points. With the win, Harvard secured the conference’s automatic bid to the ICSA Open Fleet Racing National Championship. The team will have plenty of time to prepare for the race, which will be held in Tampa, Fla., on May 19-22.

The Crimson has now won seven open regattas in just eight weekends of spring competition, establishing itself as a truly dominant program.

Junior Robby Meek credited the program’s excellence to personally focusing on and excelling in its starts, boat speed, and efficient paths.

“Fleet racing is a lot more individual,” Meek said. He also stated that sometimes, “It’s nice to just focus on yourself,” when you are out on the water.

NEISA Women’s Fleet Racing Championship

Meanwhile, in New London, Conn., some of Harvard’s sailors were competing at the NEISA Women’s Fleet Racing Championships, where they vied for the Reed Trophy and the automatic bid to the ICSA Women’s Fleet Racing Championship.

The Crimson finished third overall. The pair of junior Zoey Ziskind and sophomore Amelie Zucker raced together for all 12 of the races in the A division, securing a win in the first race and eight impressive top-eight finishes. Sophomore Kate Danielson and senior 2024 Paris Olympian Sophia Montgomery went 7-12, splitting skipper time with the B division of junior JJ Drummond and sophomore Hanah Yosun.

After four more races on Sunday, Harvard’s A boat finished with a final score of 60, and its B boat had 72. The team’s overall score of 132 fell behind its Ivy League rivals of Yale, which finished first with 99 points, and Brown, which finished second with 105 points.

This weekend, the Crimson also partook in the Morris Trophy Fleet Race in Boston, Mass. At the regatta hosted by Boston University, Harvard placed tenth out of the 18 competing teams with its score of 43. Coast Guard won the regatta — which was shortened to just two races due to the miserable weather — with its impressive score of 15.

The Crimson also competed at the Boston Dinghy Cup Fleet Race, which was hosted by MIT on the Charles River. This regatta was composed of three different divisions and featured a field of 17 teams. Harvard placed 11th overall with a score of 247. Its local foe, Tufts, won the regatta with its 139 points.

The Crimson will now turn its sights to the ICSA Open Team Racing National Championship. Harvard will strive to defend its national title in New Orleans, La., where the regatta will be held this weekend.

“In a way, it’s the only event that matters,” stated Meek about the National Championship Regatta.

The Crimson team will also vie for the title of ICSA Women’s Team Racing National Champions, which will also be held in New Orleans just after the Open Team race. Last season, the women’s crew placed third overall, just falling to Yale and Stanford.

—Staff writer Isabel C. Smail can be reached at [email protected].

—Staff writer Reed M. Trimble can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X at @ReedTrimble1. Follow @THCSports for all of The Crimson’s sports coverage.