Honors & Accomplishments
• Has helped teams qualify for five spring national appearances in three years while developing the program's first two All-Americans since being elevated to varsity status in 2015.
• Helped develop 10 ICSA All-Americans at Hobart and William Smith.
• Program qualified for 28 ICSA national championships at HWS, finishing in the top five on five occasions.
• Teams made 17 Atlantic Coast Championship appearances
• Served as North Region Director of the Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association since 2012.
Coaching Experience
• Assistant Coach, Cornell University (2017-present)
• Assistant Coach, Hobart and William Smith Colleges (2008-17)
• Executive Director, Little Traverse Sailors (2008-present)
• Sailing Director, Little Traverse Yacht Club (2013-present)
• Coach.Race Program Director, Edgartown Yacht Club (2010-12)
• Principle Race Officer, White Bear Yacht Club (2005-08)
• Head Racing Coach, White Bear Sailing School (2005-08)
Sailing Experience
• Hobart College (2004-08)
• Team captain for Hobart and William Smith Colleges
• Part of two third-place finishers in the national team race championships
Education
• B.S., Economics and Public Policy, Hobart (2008)
At Cornell
Dan Thompson joined the Cornell coaching staff in June 2017 after more than a decade as a student-athlete and assistant coach for the Hobart and William Smith program.
In his first season with the Big Red, Cornell qualified for the national championships in all three disciplines (women's, team race, coed), finishing seventh at the women's regatta. Cornell won four regattas during the season and had three sailors named to the All-MAISA teams. The Big Red had a pair of All-Americans, its first since being elevated to varsity status in 2015, won six regatta titles and qualified for the women's and coed national championships in 2018-19.
Ranked No. 3 nationally coming out of the 2019 fall season, the Big Red women claimed a pair of conference titles, including its second straight MAISA Women's crown. Freshman Lillian Myers won the Faye Bennett, who went on to finish fifth at the national singlehanded championships. In all, Cornell finished in the top five at 16 fall regattas before their season was cut short due to the outbreak of the corona virus nationwide.
Prior to Cornell
While coaching at Hobart and William Smith, Thompson helped develop the skills that allowed 10 sailors to earn ICSA All-America honors. In all, HWS earned 28 ICSA national championship finishes during his time in Geneva, with five top five national finishes. The teams also made 17 Atlantic Coast Championship appearances.
Thompson had varied responsibilities at Hobart and William Smith, including running collegiate regattas, maintaining the school’s fleet and dock, recruiting and fundraising. He also has connections throughout the junior world, having served as Executive Director of the Little Traverse Sailors and having stints working with the Edgartown and White Bear Yacht Clubs. Thompson has also coached at various clinics and clubs since his days competing at Hobart.
Away from the water, Thompson has served as North Region Director of the Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association since 2012 and is an all-academic committee member for the ICSA.
Sailing Career
A 2008 Hobart graduate with a degree in economics and public policy, Thompson’s success on the water is highlighted by back-to-back third-place finishes at the 2006 and 2007 ICSA Team Race National Championships. A team captain as a senior, he was also a two-time recipient of the Class of 1994 Award, given to an HWS sailor who demonstrates outstanding commitment and dedication to the welfare of the team.
* Updated March 2020
