Leonard Named National Coach of the Year

March 9, 2007

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Yale's McNay Family Director of Sailing Zachary Leonard has been recognized as the 2006 National Coach of the Year by US Sailing's Olympic Sailing Committee (OSC). US Sailing is the national governing body of sailing in the United States. The award is one of four awards given annually as part of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) Coach Recognition Program, which aims to highlight the accomplishments of coaches at all levels of the sport. The four awards included in the Program are National Coach of the Year, Developmental Coach of the Year, Volunteer Coach of the Year and the "Doc" Counsilman Science Award.

Former captain of the Yale sailing team, Leonard received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1989. He was also a collegiate All-American and national champion. His coaching career began at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 1987, while on a leave of absence from Yale. The Bulldog skipper then won four New England championships and one national championship as the head coach at Brown University, before returning to New Haven in 2001.

While the USOC is not involved with collegiate sailing, Leonard stands out as a fitting recipient of National Coach of the Year honors because of his coaching philosophy. He constantly strives to mold not only national champions but also sailors with a lifelong love for the sport.

"We don't consider our sailors' Olympic aspirations counterproductive to the goals of our program," Leonard said. "It's always been a goal of our program to produce lifelong sailors who can succeed at the highest level. And the highest level, in this case, is the Olympics."

Under Leonard's tutelage, Yale sailors have found success on both the collegiate and Olympic levels. In the fall of 2006, the Yale women's sailing team rose to number one in the New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association's rankings. Furthermore, three Bulldogs finished in the top five at the women's 2005 single-handed national championships.

In the most recent Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) rankings, the Yale women's team is ranked second in the nation, while the coed team is ranked fourteenth.

"One of the things that [the USOC] likes about the way we've been doing things at Yale is that we encourage people who are elite athletes to pursue their Olympic aspirations," Leonard commented.

Bulldogs, past and present, on the 2007 US Sailing Team include freshman Sarah Lihan, Molly Carapiet '06, Stuart McNay '04 and Isabelle Kinsolving '02.

"It's really nice to be recognized for something that you've put a lot of effort into," Leonard concluded. "But, whenever a coach wins an award, in the end, it's a reflection of the success that the people that he coached had. We've had a number of kids that have gone on to be members of the Olympic sailing team. To some extent, I get credit for the success that they've had."

The Yale women's sailing team is in Annapolis, Md. for a team race with Navy on Mar. 10 and 11. On the same days, the coed team will take on St. Mary's and compete in the Wood Trophy hosted by Salve Regina University.

Report filed by Nicholas Thorne '08, Yale Sports Publicity