Yale’s Carmen Cowles Wins Women’s Sailor of the Year 2023
June 14, 2023
KINGS POINT, NY— Carmen Cowles ’25 of Yale University was named 2023 Quantum Women’s Sailor of the Year. Established in 2003, the award is sponsored by Quantum Sails and awarded annually to the outstanding female collegiate sailor. The recognition followed the College Sailing Women’s National Championship, where Cowles won A Division, and her team finished second overall.
In the first finals round on May 25, ten races took place for the A and B divisions, and fleets raced in conditions from 10 – 15 knots. As predicted, the breeze quieted throughout the day challenging sailors with staggering conditions. Unfortunately, the finals on May 26 were paired with low winds, preventing any racing. With that being that titles were rewarded based on the previous days’ results, and Stanford took home first.
Yale captured the Madeleine Cup after winning the A Division Semifinals through Tuesday and Wednesday’s racing. The Bulldogs finished with 123 points, 56 in the A division and 67 in the B division.
Cowles was awarded the ICSA Quantum Women’s Sailor of the Year, becoming the third sailor in Yale women’s history to win the title. Cowles joined Morgan Kiss (2015) and Jane Macky (2009) as fellow Bulldogs in the history books.
The Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) made the following selections:
Women’s All-American Skippers:
Carmen Cowles, 2025, Yale University
Emma Cowles, 2025, Yale University
Hannah Freeman, 2024, Stanford University
Bridget Green, 2025, Cornell University
Maddie Hawkins, 2024, Dartmouth College
Dana Haig, 2022, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Michelle Lahrkamp, 2023, Stanford University
Vanessa Lahrkamp, 2026, Stanford University
Mia Nicolosi, 2025, Yale University
Colleen O’Brien, 2024 Boston College
Honorable Mention Women’s All-American Skippers:
Caroline Bayless, 2023, Brown University
Emily Bornarth, 2024, US Coast Guard Academy
Eva Blauvelt, 2025, US Naval Academy
Cordelia Burn, 2025, Harvard University
Sarah Burn, 2024, Harvard University
Piper Holthus, 2025, Georgetown University
Elizabeth Kaplan, 2023, Bowdoin College
Blaire McCarthy, 2023, Brown University
Michaela O’Brien, 2024, Boston College
Ciara Rodriguez-Horan, 2022, Tulane University