For any Harvard sailing team to be considered among the best in school history is no small feat. After all, Harvard sailing has a proud tradition that dates back over a century and includes Olympic medalists and American Presidents.

But the accomplishments of this year’s Crimson sailors are unrivaled. On June 8, the Crimson coeds clinched the Leonard M. Fowle ’30 Trophy, given to the nation’s top all-around sailing team. It was Harvard’s first Fowle Trophy in the award’s 30-year history.

The trophy is decided based on a point system that includes each of the year’s six Intercollegiate Sailing Association national championships. In the final point standings, Harvard scored 86 to edge out Dartmouth’s 77 and Old Dominion’s 69. Navy and Tufts, with 10 and eight trophies respectively, have won the most Fowle Trophies.

The Crimson’s Fowle quest began in earnest back in November at the Men’s and Women’s Singlehanded Nationals—the first two ICSA championships. Sophomore Clay Bischoff claimed fifth place in the men’s regatta, while junior Margaret Gill—for the second time in three years—took home highest honors on the women’s side.

When Harvard dominated the Sloop National Championships three weeks later, tallying a low score of 21 over ten races to beat nearest competitor Charleston by 15 places, the Crimson had established itself firmly as the Fowle Trophy favorite. At the end of the fall season, Harvard led second-place Old Dominion comfortably, 38-26, atop the Fowle standings.

The Crimson would still need a strong spring season to bring the trophy home, however, especially during the climatic final week of the season in June, when nationals for Women’s Dinghies, Team Racing and Coed Dinghies are held in rapid succession.

Harvard’s Fowle hopes took a hit late in the spring season, when the team failed to qualify for Women’s Dinghy Nationals, despite being ranked in the top ten throughout the season. Dartmouth and Old Dominion claimed second and sixth place, respectively, at Women’s Dinghies to eliminate Harvard’s early Fowle lead.

At Team Racing Nationals, the Crimson delivered a school record second-place performance on its home waters. Had it not been for a controversial defeat to eventual champion Georgetown on the final day of racing, Harvard would have secured the national title. In the Fowle Cup standings, the Crimson reclaimed the lead with 52 points, followed by Old Dominion and Dartmouth with 47 and 45 points, respectively.