Leighton, Reed, Palmer Named to ICSA All-Academic Sailing Team

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Josh Leighton, Brooks Reed, and Libby Palmer were all named to the 2009 Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) All Academic Team. Leighton and Reed copped First-Team honors while Palmer was tabbed to the Second Team. The trio was among 20 outstanding nationwide sailors who received the recognition.

The honor acknowledges the success at the highest levels both on the water and in the classroom of those who were nominated by their respective schools for academic and athletic performance in 2008-09. The ICSA All Academic Team recognizes 10 First Team and 10 Second Team student-athletes who maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.5 on a scale of 4.00, were a key starter or reserve member of their school’s sailing team, and who had reached junior standing at his or her institution of learning in order to be considered eligible for this distinction.

Leighton, a senior from Cambridge, Mass., is currently majoring in Mechanical and Ocean Engineering and posted a GPA of 3.90. Both Reed, of Santa Cruz, Calif., and Palmer, who hails from Houston, Texas, graduated this past June with degrees in Mechanical and Ocean Engineering and GPAs of 3.90 and 3.70, respectively. Reed also was named to the team in 2008.

Reed and Palmer led the Engineers to a number of high rankings in many of the major regattas during their careers at MIT. Leighton continues to shine in the water, with his most recent success occurring at the Hood Trophy on Sept. 27. Paired with crews Lisa Schlecht and Victoria Lee, the Engineers captured a sixth-place finish out of 24 entries in the A-Division.

ICSA is the governing authority for sailing competition at colleges and universities throughout the United States and some parts of Canada and is comprised of seven North American Conferences within established geographic regions: Middle Atlantic (MAISA), Midwest (MCSA), New England (NEISA), Northwest (NWICSA), Pacific Coast (PCIYRA), South Atlantic (SAISA), and Southeastern (SEISA). Each conference schedules and runs local and intersectional events, including Conference Championships that ultimately qualify teams for the ICSA National Championships. For more information on ICSA and college sailing, please visit www.collegesailing.org.