CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard Sailing returns to the water this weekend with a pair of regattas hosted by Brown. The Crimson will play host to the Harvard Women's Team Race in Rhode Island and will appear at the Liam O'Keefe Trophy Team Race. The weekend will begin with the Liam O'Keefe Trophy Team Race on Saturday, February 28 and conclude with the Crimson's regatta on Sunday, March 1.

What to Know

• The Crimson gets back on the water for the second time since mid-November when it won the ICSA Match Race National Championship in St. Petersburg, Florida. The national title put a cap on a fall season that saw Robby Meek win the ICSA Open Singlehanded National Championship and the Crimson win six team-scoring regattas, including the NEISA Match Racing Championships in September and the Open Atlantic Coast Championship – Final in October.
• In Harvard's first appearance on the water this spring it traveled down to Charleston to compete at the 2026 Southern Collegiate Offshore Regatta.  The Crimson finished second of 12 teams and was one point off of the top spot.
• Prior to the start of the spring season the Crimson had five different sailors appear on the NEISA Watch List. Justin Callahan was named to the Open Skipper of the Year Watch List, Zoey Ziskind was named to the Women's Skipper of the Year Watch List, Christina Chen was named to the Women's Crew of the Year Watch List and the Babineau Crew of the Year Watch List. Rosella Irfan and Jacob Posner were also named to the Babineau Crew of the Year Watch List and Posner was also named to the Open Rookie of the Year Watch List.
• Last week, in the first Sail1Design Team Race rankings of the season the Crimson were ranked No.1 in the open division and No. 3 in women's team racing.
• Over the course of the fall, Harvard had several athletes take home NEISA Sailor-of-the-Week honors. The list included Sophia Montgomery, Aidan Pesce, JJ Drummond, Robby Meek, J. Callahan, Posner, Chen and Kate Danielson.
• As for the spring season, Harvard enters as the defending ICSA Open Team Race National Champion. The Crimson won its second crown in three seasons in 2025, and fourth overall. Harvard also enjoyed its best finish in women's team history, coming in third place at the team race event. Harvard also finished in third place (women's) and fifth place (open) at the 2025 ICSA Fleet Race National Championship.
• Three of Harvard's six All-Americans from last season return in 2026, including the College Sailor of the Year and Everett Morris Memorial Trophy recipient Justin Callahan, who was joined on the ICSA Open Skipper All-America Team by Mitchell Callahan. Zoey Ziskind is also back after earning 2025 ICSA Women's Skipper All-America accolades.
• The Crimson plays host to the Harvard Women's Team Race again this season and will look to improve upon its fifth-place performance. Sailors encountered tough weather conditions a year ago, limiting the regatta to just one day of action. Five of the six sailors who appeared at the event are back in 2026 (Danielson, Amelie Zucker, Montgomery, Ziskind, Peyton Hadfield).
• Harvard will look to capture the Liam O'Keefe Trophy for the second straight season after winning the inaugural regatta in 2025. Named for the late Brown sailor who passed away in May 2024, the event will serve as an early season test for the Crimson, which will return five of the seven athletes who competed last year (J. Callahan, M. Callahan, Rosella Irfan, Meek, Chen).

Up Next

Harvard is scheduled to appear at the Jen Harris Women's Team Race (Annapolis, Md.), play host to the Wood Trophy Team Race, and compete at the Tufts-hosted Icebreaker Invitational. All three regattas are slated for Saturday, March 7-Sunday, March 8.