CHESTERTOWN, Md. — Former national runner-up B Division skipper and experienced 420 and Optimist coach Bradley Adam is the new head coach of the Washington College sailing team. Adam was a standout collegiate sailor for national power St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
“I would like to thank the search committee for this amazing opportunity,” remarks Adam. “Meeting with them and seeing the enthusiasm that they all had for the program and the school was really impressive. I am looking forward to helping this program grow into a contender in our conference and in the country.”
“We are excited to welcome Bradley to our family,” notes Director of Athletics Thad Moore. “He has been a nationally-competitive sailor for many years and had an outstanding collegiate sailing career. We are confident he is the right coach to grow our program and take it to new heights.”
Adam finished off an impressive collegiate sailing career at St. Mary’s by skippering the Seahawks to second place in B Division at the ICSA/Gill Co-Ed National Championships as a senior as the team finished 14th overall. That performance came on the heels of him skippering St. Mary’s to first place in B Division at the ICSA/Gill Co-Ed Western Semifinal, boosting the Seahawks into the national championships with an eighth-place overall finish. He also skippered the Seahawks to second place in B Division at the America Trophy (the MAISA Spring Co-Ed Championships) as St. Mary’s finished second overall in the conference. During his collegiate sailing career, Adam turned in over a dozen top-five divisional finishes.
While sailing at St. Mary’s, Adam was mentored by two former Washington College head coaches – the Seahawks’ Director of Sailing Bill Ward and their assistant coach Conner Blouin ’10. “I also want to thank all of my coaches, particularly at St. Mary’s, for the guidance and mentorship that they have given me over the years,” Adam adds.
A certified US Sailing Small Boat Instructor Level 3 Coach, Adam spent this summer serving as the Assistant Program Director at Miles River Yacht Club in St. Michaels, Md. In that position, he was responsible for all aspects of daily functioning of the program, planned all home and away regattas, and oversaw a staff of 15. His coaching experience also includes time as the Optimist Race Coach at Annapolis (Md.) Yacht Club, the Head 420 Race Coach at Beverly Yacht Club in Marion, Mass., and as the Optimist/C420 Coach at Pleon Yacht Club in Marblehead, Mass.
Adam is a native of Rhode Island, where he began sailing at a young age and developed into one of the nation’s top youth sailors. He won the 2012 C420 North American Championship and was named a 2012 Jobson Youth All-Star.
Adam was a double major in Economics and Public Policy at St. Mary’s and earned his B.A. from the school this past May.
Intercollegiate sailing has been a varsity sport at Washington College since the fall of 1997. From 2008 through 2014, the Washington College sailing team qualified for the ICSA Co-Ed National Championship first round six times in seven years. The team also qualified for the ICSA Women’s National Championship semifinal in 2012. The College is currently constructing a new boathouse on its existing waterfront along the Chester River, which is within a mile’s walk of the main campus. The new boathouse is expected to open this coming fall.
“I was very happy to see the new boathouse that is currently going up; it looks like it is going to be an absolutely amazing building,” states Adam. “I know that the new boathouse and what a great school Washington College is will be a great help in attracting new recruits to help build the program further. I am looking forward to my time at Washington College, and couldn’t be more excited to lead this team.”
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~ Washington College Athletics