PCCSC News


***Richards, Enright, Towill, and Legler are inducted to the NEISA Hall of Fame***


Cambridge, MA—2/15/16 - The New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association (NEISA) is proud to name Ryan Richards, Charlie Enright, Mark Towill and Ken Legler to the NEISA Hall of Fame. Richards, Enright and Towill were named to the NEISA Honor Roll and Legler 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. Ryan Richards (1975-2015), Tufts '98, was the middle of three brothers to sail at Tufts, and remained connected to sailing throughout his life. Richard’s coach Ken Legler said of Ryan, "He was very dearly loved. Everybody really enjoyed having him as a teammate. He was always laughing and making other people laugh." Ryan is remembered for his great sportsmanship and enthusiasm for the sport. 

As undergrads, Brown alumni Charlie Enright '08 and Mark Towill '11, had the unique experience of competing together in the historic Transpacific Yacht Race from Los Angeles to Hawaii racing aboard Roy Disney’s TP 52 Morning Light (a documentary of the same name was later released chronicling their months of training and racing). That experience launched their careers on the offshore racing scene. Over the last three years, the two travelled the world looking for a sponsor for their Volvo Ocean Race campaign and found a partner in Turkish cardiovascular medical devices company, creating Team Alvimedica. They assembled their team and in the last year competed in the world’s most grueling ocean race.

Brown’s coach John Mollicone noted, "The entire Brown Sailing community is so proud of what Charlie and Mark have accomplished over the past year. It was a dream of theirs while they were students at Brown just a short time ago. To put it all together, get up to speed as quickly as they did, and to be very competitive their first time around is truly amazing. We wish them continued success and hope they will be back on the starting line for the next edition of the Volvo Ocean Race."  Team Alvimedica finished fifth overall in the Volvo Ocean Race, just one point out of third place. For their leadership and achievements in sailing Enright and Towill are named to the NEISA Honor Roll.

Since 1980, Ken Legler, URI '77, has been the Head Coach at Tufts University, and remains one of the longest tenured coaches in College Sailing. In addition to winning 20 National Championships and coaching 92 All-Americans, Legler has, for the better part of two decades, volunteered countless hours to supporting NEISA in various roles. For many of those years, he was the official schedule writer and more recently the unofficial NEISA photographer. Recognizing outstanding lifetime service to NEISA, this award is given in memory of Robert C. MacArthur who was a long time NEISA judge. MacArthur penned "Room at the Mark", a book about the evolution of the racing rules of sailing.

Legler said he was delighted to win the MacArthur Award and was glad to have known Robert when he was actively judging at NEISA regattas.  "Back when there were fewer coaches, I did a lot of work for NEISA, mostly scheduling. I did that on and off for 20 years.” Legler also drew similarities between himself and MacArthur, citing their common interest in sailing history. Ken hopes to become a NEISA historian one day. Legler is a former recipient of College Sailing’s Graham Hall Award for Outstanding Service by a College Sailing Professional –an award that honors organizers, administrators, advisors or coaches who have served the best interests of college sailing at the club, team, conference or national level.

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.