While students have their minds on the basketball season this time of year, one of Georgetown’s most successful athletes has slipped under the radar. For the second time in his four years at Georgetown, senior Andrew Campbell was named U.S. Olympic Committee Male Sailing Athlete of the Year for 2005. The award comes at a time when Georgetown sailing is ranked number one in the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association World College ranking, thanks in great part to the solo-sailor.
The accomplished Laser sailor finished the fall 2005 season with a first place victory at the ICSA/Vanguard National Championship in November. Campbell became the only athlete to win the championship three times. Despite finishing eighth in his first race that weekend, Campbell was able to pull in front of the opposition after the fourth race, and he never looked back.
Campbell said at the beginning of the year, “We just have to make sure we qualify for all the national championships.” He helped to do just that by dominating the competition with 12 top-five finishes and four first-place finishes. Campbell also contributed to a strong team effort at the Atlantic Coast Dinghy Championships in November, helping the Hoya sailing team to a second-place finish. As senior skipper, his skill and leadership grabbed the Hoyas a second-place finish at the ICSA Sloops National Championship in October.
His career also includes a gold medal and a flawless performance representing Georgetown and the United States at the World University Games in Turkey. “As it turned out, it was just about perfect,” Campbell said. “I sailed the most consistent regatta of anybody and that obviously paid off, so I was pretty happy about it.” He also earned victories at the Laser Midwinters East Championship and the Laser North American Championship, as well as a runner-up finish at the U.S. Sailing’s Rolex Miami OCR in the laser class.
Campbell will enter his final collegiate season this spring, looking to add to his legend that boasts more sailing accomplishments than one could count on several hands. He is currently ranked number two in lasers in the United States, and just three weeks ago he was nominated as a finalist for the 2005 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year award. “We must continue to work in order to maintain our top ranking. Our goal, as always, is to qualify for and win national championships,” Georgetown Sailing Head Coach Mike Callahan said in early December. Andrew Campbell will certainly be an important part of that goal this spring, and for the Male Sailor of the Year, the horizon’s the limit.
