Brown sailing captured the 2026 College Open Fleet Race National Championship, defeating Stanford (the defending champions) to claim the program’s first open fleet racing national title since 1948.
Over four days of intense racing in St. Petersburg, Florida, Brown weathered fickle winds to become champions, holding off one of college sailing’s deepest fields.
Guthrie Braun ’26 and Vera Allen ’27 led the charge in the A Division, winning four of their seven semifinal races before advancing to the 18-team championship fleet, ultimately finishing third overall. Meanwhile, Blake Behrens ’27 and Caroline Keeffe-Jones ’26 dominated the B Division.
“Behrens absolutely killed it, which made it pretty low-pressure for us,” Braun told Scuttlebutt Sailing News. “We were able to know that with such a dogfight in A Division that if we just kept it consistent, Blake would take care of the rest.”
The celebration extended beyond the team trophy. Keeffe-Jones was named Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association’s Sailing Crew of the Year while Kaitlyn Hamilton ’26 was named Robert H. Hobbs Sportsmanship Trophy finalist.
Even among all the successes, Braun found his mind drifting to their late teammate Liam O’Keefe ’26, who died two years ago in a tragic accident. “I was thinking of our teammate,” Braun admitted. “He was on track to be the most decorated Brown sailor, probably ever … and left some pretty big shoes to fill. I’m just happy that we did something to really make him proud.”