The NEISA Awards Committee has announced the 2025 NEISA Watch List. Following the fall season, the committee has identified the top contenders for the six major All-NEISA awards. In identifying honorees, the committee looked at the comprehensive records of sailors throughout the fall season, and narrowed down the Watch List by considering the following criteria: quality and quantity of a sailor’s competitive record, how the record compares to those of fellow competitors, the quality of competition in which the record was achieved, results achieved competing with different skippers and crews, and how the record compares to those of All-NEISA sailors selected in previous years. While these stand-out players are the initial contenders, all players are eligible for NEISA Awards.
The Watch List honorees are selected for the following awards: NEISA Open Skipper of the Year, NEISA Women’s Skipper of the Year, NEISA Women’s Crew of the Year, NEISA Babineau Crew of the Year, NEISA Open Rookie of the Year and NEISA Women’s Rookie of the Year.
The NEISA Open and Women’s Skipper of the Year awards honor the best skippers in the conference in their respective disciplines. NEISA Skipper of the Year winners and finalists have a strong record of becoming finalists and winners of the ICSA Sailor of the Year Award.
The Babineau Trophy honors the Coast Guard Academy sailor and cadet Julie Babineau and recognizes the most outstanding crew in NEISA across all competition. The Women’s Crew of the Year award recognizes the most outstanding crew in women’s competition.
The Open and Women’s Rookie of the Year awards recognize sailors in the class of 2028 who, in their first year of college, hold an outstanding record in Open and Women’s competition respectively. Both crews and skippers are eligible for these awards.
Respectfully Submitted by the NEISA Awards Committee:
Johnny Norfleet - Chair
Molly Matthews
John Mollicone
Mike O'Connor
Caroline Young
NEISA Open Skipper of the Year Watch List
Guthrie Braun '26 Brown University
Justin Callahan '26 Harvard University
Carlos De Castro '26 Roger Williams University
Kerem Erkmen '25 University of Rhode Island
NEISA Women's Skipper of the Year Watch List
Cordelia Burn '25 Harvard University
Carmen Cowles '25 Yale University
Emma Cowles '25 Yale University
Katharine Doble '26 Brown University
Laura Hamilton '27 Brown University
Lucy Meagher '27 Roger Williams University
Dorothy Mendelblatt '28 Yale University
Caroline Sibilly '26 Boston College
Sarah Young '25 Dartmouth College
Zoey Ziskind '27 Harvard University
NEISA Women's Crew of the Year Watch List
Lilly Baker '27 Dartmouth College
Katherine Majette '27 Brown University
Maren Matthews '26 Roger Williams University
Julia Miller '26 Yale University
Sarah Moeder '26 Yale University
Margo Silliman '25 Harvard University
Savannah Young '25 Brown University
NEISA Babineau Crew of the Year Watch List
Abbie Chipps '25 University of Rhode Island
Alexandra Dorofeev '25 Harvard University
Ashley Highland '27 Yale University
Carly Kiss '25 Roger Williams University
Phoebe Lee '26 Dartmouth College
Kennedy Leehealey '26 Harvard University
Julia Miller '26 Yale University
Sarah Moeder '26 Yale University
Emily Mueller '25 Brown University
Charles Pohl '26 U.S. Coast Guard Academy
NEISA Women's Rookie of the Year Watch List
Kate Danielson '28 Harvard University
Audrey Foley '28 Yale University
Dorothy Mendelblatt '28 Yale University
NEISA Open Rookie of the Year Watch List
Chase Decker '28 Dartmouth College
Caroline Leicht '28 Dartmouth College
Harrison Strom '28 Harvard University