Cambridge, Mass. (March 9) -- Matt Lindblad has been named as the Cucchiaro Family Director of Sailing, as announced by Dr. G. Anthony Grant, MIT director of athletics/DAPER department head. Lindblad replaces long-time director of sailing Fran Charles, who will be retiring at the end of the 2022-23 academic year.
 
"I am very pleased to have Matt as the fifth director of sailing in the program's history," said Dr. Grant. "He has done a tremendous job over the last 17 years with our varsity sailing program as a coach and will continue to engage with the entire MIT and Cambridge communities in his new role as director of sailing."
 
Lindblad has served as the co-head coach women's and coed varsity sailing since 2006, as well as the acting director of sailing each summer from 2009-2022. On the water, Lindblad helped direct the Coed team to the 2018 ICSA Coed National Championship and a fourth-place finish in the 2018 ICSA Women's National Championship. The Engineer women's team has also finished in the top-10 on four occasions at the ICSA Women's National Championship, along with his teams also finishing in 10th place at the 2013 and 2014 ISCA Women's Singlehanded National Championships.
 
"I've been incredibly fortunate to learn so much from colleagues and students in DAPER and the MIT Sailing Community," said Lindblad. "Our sailing programs are unique and offer opportunities to sail everything from foiling sailboats to bluewater racing and cruising. Our professional staff and volunteers teach thousands of people how to sail annually and our coaches maintain one of the best collegiate sailing programs in the country. I am excited to have the opportunity to support these programs and work with such passionate and enthusiastic staff and volunteers."
 
Since 2006, MIT sailors have earned 10 All-America honors to go along with four New England Sportsmanship Awards and numerous All-New England Team and Academic All-ICSA Team honors. Lindblad's teams have also been perennially ranked in the top-20 in the national rankings for both the women's and coed squads.
 
In addition to his work on the water for the Engineers, he also serves as a current member of the DAPER Culture Steering Committee and the DAPER DEI Committee, as well as a participant in the MIT mentoring program as a mentor and co-mentor.
 
A 1999 graduate of St. Mary's College of Maryland with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology, Lindblad also hold a Master of Education with a specialization in higher education administration from Northeastern University in 2014.
 
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