Navy Sailing competes at the highest levels of collegiate and international sailing — and the results speak for themselves.
In the spring of 2025, Navy intercollegiate sailing was awarded the Director of Athletics Cup — the most prestigious internal honor given to a varsity team at the Naval Academy.
Presented by Athletic Director Michael Kelly, the Director of Athletics Cup recognizes the varsity team that best exemplifies academics, leadership, competition, conduct, aptitude for commission, and honor. It is not simply about winning on the water. It is about excellence in every dimension of the midshipman experience.
The 2024–25 award marks the second time in program history that Navy Sailing has received this distinction. The first was in 2020–21. To earn the Cup twice in five years is a testament to the culture that Head Coach Ian Burman, Associate Head Coach Dillon Paiva, and the midshipmen of the sailing team have built — a culture where competitive excellence, academic achievement, and character development are inseparable.
Navy Sailing earned four individual All-America honors and nine total All-MAISA selections in 2025 — a reflection of the program's depth and competitive strength across the roster.
| Sailor | Honor |
|---|---|
| Nathan Smith | All-America Open Skipper; MAISA Open Skipper of the Year |
| Ellie Alex | All-America Crew; MAISA Crew of the Year |
| Henry Allgeier | Honorable Mention All-America Open Skipper |
| Blake Behrens | Honorable Mention All-America Open Skipper |
The team also earned nine total All-MAISA selections, recognizing outstanding performance across the Mid-Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association conference season.
| Event | Year | Result |
|---|---|---|
| ICSA Open Fleet Race Nationals | 2025 | 2nd — best finish since winning in 2021 |
| McMillan Cup | 2025 | Won — back-to-back; first streak since 2014–17 four-year run |
| McMillan Cup | 2024 | Won |
| Kennedy Cup | 2025 | 2nd (two points back) |
| Kennedy Cup | 2024 | 2nd (one point back; lost to Charleston) |
| MAISA Team Race Championship | 2025 | Won (Prosser Trophy, 6-0 record) |
| MAISA Match Race Championship | 2024 | Won (Intrepid Trophy) |
| ICSA Team Race Nationals | 2025 | 9th |
| ICSA Match Race Nationals | 2024 | 6th |
| Event | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Ecole Navale International Sailing Week (Brest, France) | Summer 2024 | Won — 5 of 8 races, 11-boat fleet |
| Chilean Naval Academy Regatta | Oct 2024 | Won all races — 22-boat fleet |
| Storm Trysail Club Intercollegiate | Oct 2024 | Won J/44 class (1-1-1-2) |
| Southern Bay Race Week | May–Jun 2024 | Swept top 4 spots in PHRF-A2 |
| NYYC 170th Annual Regatta | Jun 2024 | 1st in class in both events |
| Newport-Bermuda Race | Jun 2024 | 3rd in class (POSEIDON, 636 nm) |
| Hammond Memorial Race | Sep 2024 | Won |
| Great Lakes Intercollegiate Offshore | Sep 2024 | 2nd |
| Great Lakes Intercollegiate Offshore | Sep 2025 | Won (beat Charleston by 1 point) |
| Small Keelboat Regatta | Oct 2025 | Won |
| Marion-Bermuda Race | Jun 2025 | 2nd, 3rd, and 4th |
The 2026 spring season is underway. Results will be updated throughout the season.
| Regatta | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Quad Team Race Scrimmage | Feb 21, 2026 | T-1st of 12 |
| Southern Collegiate Offshore (PHRF A) | Feb 14, 2026 | 4th of 5 |
| NA Open Team Race at SMC | Feb 28, 2026 | 2nd of 6 |
| Harbor Cup | Mar 6, 2026 | 5th of 10 |
| Graham Hall Team Race | Mar 14, 2026 | 6th of 16 |
| Aaron Szambecki Team Race | Mar 21, 2026 | 4th of 10 |
| Seahawk Team Race | Mar 21, 2026 | 2nd of 6 |
The Kennedy Cup is the premier intercollegiate big-boat championship in the United States. Raced on the Chesapeake Bay and hosted at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, the event is named for President John F. Kennedy — himself a lifelong sailor and decorated naval veteran. Teams from the top collegiate sailing programs compete in matched one-design boats, and the regatta demands the full range of sailing skills: tactics, boat handling, crew coordination, and the ability to perform under pressure across multiple races. Navy has won the Kennedy Cup numerous times and considers it one of the program's flagship competitions.
The McMillan Cup is one of the oldest intercollegiate sailing trophies in the country, competed since approximately 1930. Named for Lieutenant Commander Richard McMillan, the trophy is contested among military academies and top collegiate programs, and it holds special significance for Navy as a measure of the program's standing against its service academy rivals. Navy has been a dominant force in the McMillan Cup's long history, with the 2024 and 2025 back-to-back victories continuing a tradition of excellence that stretches across decades.
