The fall regular-season sailing campaign came to a strong finish for the Brown University Bears Sailing Team, with the women’s squad clinching first place at the NEISA Women’s Fall Championship (the Urn Trophy) and the co-ed/open team delivering podium finishes across all events. Brown Sailing Fall Championship results indicates continued momentum for the Brown Bears.
In Providence, R.I., last weekend’s results marked the culmination of what has been a season of steady improvement for the Bears. As noted by Director of Sailing Chair John Mollicone, “I am really proud of the entire team for closing out the regular season strong.” He emphasized that the women’s squad had been putting in strong showings all year, and that “it was great to win the New England Fall Championship in conditions we have been working hard to improve in.” Mollicone also pointed out that the open team’s podium was earned despite competing without the program’s top skipper due to injury.
Women’s Team: Urn Trophy Champions
The women’s team, sailing at Harvard in Cambridge, competed among the region’s top 15 women’s programs in New England. They faced light, tricky wind conditions on the Charles River, but nonetheless managed to edge out Dartmouth Big Green Sailing Team by just two points to seize the title.
The lineup included senior Katharine Doble and sophomore Reese Corckran, who placed sixth in the A division, and juniors Laura Hamilton and Katherine Majette, who captured victory in the B division with just 34 points over 12 races. Their combined performance underscores both consistency and depth in the women’s program.
Open Team: Multiple Podiums
On the open/co-ed side, the Bears also showed strong form across several major events. At the NEISA Fall Open Championship – Professor Schell Trophy held at MIT, the team placed third out of 18 New England programs. In the A division, junior Blake Behrens and senior Caroline Keeffe‑Jones finished fifth, while the B-division squad of sophomore skippers Tyler Lamm and James Brock—with junior crew Vera Allen and first-year crew Dominic Ciccamaro—finished fourth after 14 races.
Additionally, at the College Sailing Freshmen Championship – Nickerson Trophy at Tufts, the Bears’ freshmen squad took second among 14 teams (behind Stanford Cardinal Sailing Team). In B division, Noah Stapleton and Phoebe Fogarty placed second, and skippers Leila Pfrang and William Baker with crews Michelle Kaneti and Elena Sun also secured second in their division.
One of the standout performances came at the 18‐team Terriers Invitational at Boston University where Brown won by 19 points over MIT. In the A-division, sophomore Julian Dahiya and first-year Kyoko Tonkin dominated: they finished first in five of six races and won by an 18-point margin. Sophomores Gabriela Collins and Marin Soderberg took a close second in the B division.
Looking Ahead
With the fall regular season behind them, the Bears turn their attention to November’s national championships. The team will head to Old Dominion University from November 7-9 for the ICSA Open National Championship and the ICSA Women’s Single‑handed National Championship, followed by the ICSA Match Race National Championship at the University of South Florida appearing November 14-16.
According to Mollicone, the progress shown by the team this fall—across both women’s and open squads—is cause for optimism. The foundation is there: depth, freshman talent stepping up, and a strong sense of momentum. As the Bears prepare for their national-level challenges next month, all signs point to a program on the rise.
