For the sixth time in school history, the College of Charleston Varsity Sailing Team won the prestigious Leonard B. Fowle Trophy, awarded annually to the best all-around sailing team in the nation by the Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA).

sailing team

The 2014-2015 College of Charleston Sailing Team.

The Cougar sailing program, now guided by Director of Sailing Greg Fisher, Head Coach Ward Cromwell and Assistant Coach Mitch Hall, previously won collegiate sailing’s top honor in 1986, 1988, 1998, 2007 and 2012.

“Coach Greg Fisher, coach Ward Cromwell and myself are extremely proud of how the team performed this week in a wide range of conditions,” Hall told the Charleston Post and Courier. “We had a consistent season and that helped us win the Fowle Trophy for the best all-around team, which shows how strong our team is across the board.”

This award comes on the heels of the College’s fourth-place finish at the ICSA Gill Co-ed National Championship on Thursday, June 4, 2015, at Sail Newport in Rhode Island.

The Cougars earned 299 total points across the 18-race, 18-team series, finishing behind first-place Yale University (186 points), second-place U.S. Coast Guard Academy (255 points) and third-place Boston College (265 points).

The College squad beat out 14 other teams in the finals after having won the semifinal qualifier.

The Cougars also placed fifth out of 18 teams at the ICSA Women’s National Championship on May 28, 2015, and fourth out of 16 teams at the ICSA Team Race National Championship on May 31, 2015.