CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard Sailing captured the Open Atlantic Coast Championship title for the third time in four years and posted two additional top-5 performances this past weekend on the water. While the Open ACC event was held in Maryland, the Crimson competed at two other regattas in New England, finishing in fourth at the Norman Reid Team Race and fifth at the Yale Women's Regatta.
Open Atlantic Coast Championship – Final | Annapolis, Md.
Widely considered the most competitive event of the fall campaign, Harvard was represented in the A-division by
Justin Callahan and crews
Jacob Posner (1-10) and
Aidan Pesce (11-14), with
Mitchell Callahan (skipper),
Rosella Irfan (1-10) and
Amelie Zucker (11-14) handling B-division duties.
The first day on the Severn River served up a mixed bag: choppy, puffy breeze, and many wind shifts. It was the kind of day where small decisions made big differences—tuning, boat handling, and staying in phase with the breeze all mattered. Harvard's A and B division teams handled the tough conditions well, putting together a consistent scoreline to edge into the overall lead by day's end, though the margin was slim with Tulane and Stanford.
What started out with medium breeze around 12 knots, turned into a windy afternoon, as the wind climbed to around 25 knots with a wavy sea state. It was a test of strength and control; keeping the boats powered up and nailing the maneuvers in waves were the keys to success. Harvard rose to the moment, turning a narrow lead into a statement win.
The victory underscored Harvard Sailing's sustained excellence in College Sailing—three titles in the last four years. Senior
Justin Callahan added to the story with a remarkable personal streak: he has won his division at this regatta every year he's competed, twice in A-division and twice in B-division.
Norman Reid Team Race | Dorchester, Mass.
In what was a great day at Savin Hill Yacht Club, Harvard took a step toward preparing for the spring season with a team race hosted by Boston College. The one-day regatta saw
Xavier Ayala-Vermont paired with
Julia Downey;
Theresa Straw and
Grace Naylor sharing a boat; and
Caroline Straw and
Catherine Mignone competing together.
Harvard went 1-3 in each of the three rounds, with the rotation staying consistent – Brown, Brandeis, Boston College, Tufts. The Crimson defeated Brandeis (1-2-4, 1-2-3, 1-2-3) each time through, but fell short against the other three teams in the field. Harvard nearly picked up what would have been a second victory in Round 2, when it went 2-4-6 against Tufts.
The Crimson ultimately finished with a 3-9 record, with Boston College (12-0), Tufts (9-3) and Brown (6-6) occupying the top three positions. Brandeis was fifth at 0-12.
Yale Women's Regatta | New Haven, Conn.
A nice weekend in Connecticut was complemented by solid sailing from the Crimson.
Zoey Ziskind led Harvard in the A-division and the junior was assisted by
Skyler Reading (1-5),
Peyton Hadfield (6-8) and
Julia Downey (9-11), who pulled double duty after competing at the Norman Reid Team Race on Saturday.
Kate Danielson and
JJ Drummond, meanwhile, handled the B-division.
The Ziskind-led entry had nine top-8 performances at the 11-race regatta, winning Race 5 and coming in second place in Race 1 and 11. The Crimson's non-top-8 finishes were in Races 7-8 (11
th, 14
th). Harvard's A-boat turned in a score of 71.
Danielson-Drummond were impressive against the B-field, logging 10 top-10 efforts and finishing in the top-12 in all 11 outings. The duo was the runner-up twice (Race 4, 9) and was the third-place finisher in Race 5 and 7. When the water settled, they posted a 68.
Harvard came in fifth place in the 18-team field with a 139, and completed the two-day competition behind Yale (99), Dartmouth (116), Stanford (116) and Brown (120).
Up Next
Harvard will close out the fall regular season this weekend when it appears locally at the Terrier Invitational (Oct. 25), Victorian Urn Trophy (Oct. 25-26) and Schell Trophy (Oct. 25-26).
