Harvard is a sailing school too

Located alongside the Charles River, Harvard University’s oldest and most prestigious sport is rowing. But in this report, the Crimson wants to toot their sailing horn:

Harvard senior Justin Callahan was named the 2026 Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) College Sailor of the Year. The honor marks his second straight, making him the first sailor in program history to win the sport’s top individual honor twice.

He is also only the seventh sailor to do so since the award was first presented in 1968. Often described as college sailing’s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy in college football, the award caps one of the most accomplished careers the sport has seen.

Callahan leaves Harvard having rewritten the program’s record book. When All-America honors are announced, he will become the only four-time first-team All-American in Crimson history, this after being the lone New England Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (NEISA) four-time first-team selection the program has ever produced.

A native of Miami, Florida, Callahan also finished as the program’s first two-time NEISA Sailor of the Year, was the NEISA Rookie of the Year as a first-year, and earned NEISA Sailor-of-the-Week honors a record 16 times.

Callahan’s senior season was one for the ages. Across 17 regattas, Callahan never once finished off the podium and won 13 of them outright, a level of week-in, week-out consistency unmatched among recent College Sailors of the Year. In a sport where every race begins with 18 boats on the starting line, that kind of sustained winning is extraordinarily difficult.

Callahan, along his twin brother, All-American and team captain Mitchell Callahan, helped build Harvard into the No. 1 program in the country. The Crimson was first ranked No. 1 following the Callahans’ first fall season and rarely found itself anywhere but at the pinnacle of the national rankings. In four seasons, Harvard won five national championships.

In addition to his excellence on the water, Callahan, who was the rare sophomore-elected team captain, was just as superb in the classroom. He was named a John Harvard Scholar, the University’s academic honor reserved for its top-performing students, earning recognition as a true student-athlete of distinction.

Outside of his accomplishments while competing for Harvard, Callahan was recognized in 2025 as a finalist for the Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, the highest honor in American sailing. Prior to Callahan, no college sailor had ever been a finalist for the prestigious honor, which was first established in 1961.

With commencement ceremonies on the horizon, Callahan intends to continue sailing with an eye toward qualifying for the Olympics in 2028. At present, he is considered a favorite to represent the United States in the 470 Class when the Games take place in Los Angeles, California.

2025-26 Season

2025 Fall National Championships:
November 8-9 – Women’s and Open Singlehanded Nationals – Old Dominion Univ / Norfolk, VA
November 15-16 – Match Race Nationals – St Petersburg Yacht Club / St Petersburg, FL

2026 Spring National Championships:
April 23-25 – Open Team Race Nationals – Tulane Univ / New Orleans, LA
April 26-27 – Women’s Team Race Nationals – Tulane Univ / New Orleans, LA
May 15-18 – Women’s Dinghy Nationals – Univ of South Florida / St. Petersburg, FL
May 19-22 – Open Dinghy Nationals – Univ of South Florida / St. Petersburg, FL