ICSA News


NEISA Honor Roll


Cambridge, MA—12/7/16 - The New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association (NEISA) is proud to name Jeff Dusek, Stuart McNay, and David Hughes to the NEISA Hall of Fame. McNay and Hughes were named to the NEISA Honor Roll and Dusek was awarded the Robert C. MacArthur Service Award.

The Honor Roll salutes the graduates for their achievements in sailing, cruising, yacht racing or administration as reflective of NEISA’s aim to encourage competitive skills and good sportsmanship. Stu McNay, Yale ‘05, is a 3-time Olympian in the men’s 470 class. In the most recent quadrennial, he partnered up with Hughes; they finished 4th in Rio. Just last week, the duo won the Melges 24 World Championship in Miami along with their teammates on board Embarr.    

Stu’s coach at Yale, Zach Leonard, noted that, “Stu loves to go out sailing more than anyone I’ve ever met. He loves to race. He loves to practice and he loves to learn. He is an amazing person, a great friend and a tenacious competitor.”

Dave Hughes graduated from the University of Southern Maine in 1999 and served as NEISA undergraduate president his senior year. Dave has been involved with Olympic sailing almost since he graduated. He was a training partner for the US team of Paul Forrester and Kevin Burnham who won gold in the 470 in Athens. In the following quadrennial, he coached the US 49er team before hoping back into the trapeze harness.

Outside the 470 class, they compete at the highest level in myriad classes and disciplines including Melges 20, Etchells, Team Racing, and J/80s. NEISA is honored to have them as alumni, and pleased to recognize them for their sailing achievements.

The MacArthur Service Award recognizes outstanding lifetime service to NEISA, this award is given in memory of Robert C. MacArthur who was a long time NEISA judge. This year NEISA recognizes another judge, Jeff Dusek. Before moving to New England, Dusek sailed his undergraduate career at Florida Atlantic University where he was named to the All-Academic team. While completing both his Masters in Mechanical and Ocean Engineering and PhD at MIT, Jeff volunteered upwards of 30 weekends to NEISA since arriving in Boston in 2009.

Outside of his postdoctoral work at Harvard and his commitment to NEISA, Jeff continues to find time to get on the water, racing F18s and 505s. He also recently completed his first ultra-marathon. Jeff was delighted to learn of this award, and wanted to give due credit to his wife, Lianne, not only because she also volunteers her time to give back to the sport, but also because she lets him spend so many weekends on the water.  In the fall, Jeff will become a Professor of Engineering at Olin College in Needham, MA.

The New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association (NEISA) is the organizing authority for sailing competition at colleges and universities throughout New England and in some parts of Canada. NEISA is one of seven conferences around the country that comprise College Sailing, the governing body of Intercollegiate Sailing. Currently boasting over fifty member schools, NEISA seeks to encourage and advance sailboat racing, in all its variations through weekly competitions throughout the spring and the fall. Education, training, student leadership, and sportsmanship have been the cornerstones of NEISA since its inception in Cambridge, MA in 1949. Visit neisa.collegesailing.org to learn more.