ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. -- Orchestrating the best finish in the conference fleet race championship since 2009, head coach Dreugh Phillips of the Christopher Newport sailing team was named the Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association (MAISA) Conference Coach of the Year. The Captains competed at the MAISA championship this weekend, the America Trophy, and finished 11th out of 18 teams. 

Phillips was voted by his peers as the top coach in one of the most competitive conferences in collegiate sailing. The MAISA Coach of the Year award is given annually to the coach that demonstrates their ability to passionately lead their team. Exceeding the team expectations and conference championships success is considered as each school in the conference has one vote.

This season, Phillips guided the Captains to wins of the Webb/Woollum Regatta, the Luce Trophy, the William & Mary Spring, and the Grant Trophy. Additionally, the Captains averaged a ninth place finish in the 16 events raced by the Captains in 2025-26. 

It is the third time in the last 15 years that a CNU Captain hauled in one of the MAISA conference awards. Vir Menon was named the 2019 MAISA Sportsperson of the Year and Austin Powers collected the 2017 MAISA Robert Purrington Award. 

The Captains finished in 11th place in the 2026 America Trophy, marking the finest team effort since 2009 when Christopher Newport also finished 11th in the event. The best effort since 2009 was a 13th place finish in 2017 and matched in 2019 and 2024. 

This year, the Captains finished with 310 total points including 141 in A division and 169 in B division. CNU just missed a spot in the top ten by five points behind Virginia Tech (305 pts). In A division, the Captains finished 11th with 141 points, just eight points back of Old Dominion for tenth. Christopher Newport was 13th in B division with 169 points and finished only 18 points out of a spot in the top-ten held by Columbia (151 pts). 

Josh Bendura and Hannah Louise Roethel paired up for the racing in A division and recorded the best effort of the weekend for the Captains in race number six when they crossed the line in third place. CNU added a sixth place showing in the second race and seventh while capturing nine total top-ten efforts.

In B division, Grace Watlington sailed races 1-6 and 9-14 with Berend van der Meer. Aston Atherton swapped with Watlington for one rotation in races 7 and 8. The B division Captains had five top-ten finishes including a weekend best effort of fifth place in the 12th race. 

Penn won the America Trophy with 112 points. Navy also earned an automatic berth to nationals with a second-place finish, scoring 125 points. Rounding out the top five in order was Georgetown, St. Mary's (Md.), and Hobart & William Smith. For complete results, click here.