Clearly, one of the premier sailing coaches in the nation, Scott Iklé has been at the helm of the Hobart and William Smith sailing program since 1993. The 1984 graduate of Hobart inherited a struggling team, built it into a consistent national championship contender, and reached the pinnacle of college sailing in 2005, not once, but twice.
Iklé’s sailors captured the program's first national championship with a first place finish in the 2005 Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA)/Layline North American Team Race Championship. Three days later, Hobart and William Smith captured the ICSA/Gill North American Coed Dinghy Championship.
Iklé's sailors put together a strong 2017-18 campaign qualifying for all three of the ICSA's National Championships, finishing in the top five in all three regattas. William Smith captured the MAISA Women's Championship to kick off the championship season for the Herons. William Smith opened the national championship week with a third place finish at the ICSA/Sperry Women's Dinghy National Championship, the best finish in program history. William Smith won A Division by 25 points. Over the Weekend, the Colleges finished third out of 16 teams at the LaserPerformance Team Race Championship, matching the program's best finish since the national championship. HWS closed out the weekend with a fourth of 18 teams at the ICSA/Gill Coed National Championship. Following the season Iklé was named the MAISA Coach of the Year and the S1D/Gill Coach of the Year.
The Colleges have earned berths in 69 ICSA North American Championship events, including 27 top five finishes. In 2013-14, Arielle deLisser '14 took second place at the ICSA Women's Singlehanded Championship, the best ever finish by a William Smith sailor. In 2003-04, the Colleges qualified for four of the ICSA’s six North American events, including a second place finish in the Sloop and Team Race championships. Since 1996, 66 sailors have earned All-American honors under Iklé’s tutelage, including Trevor Moore '07, the first HWS sailor to be named the ICSA Sailor of the Year.
Iklé’s success at the collegiate level has not escaped the eyes of the international community. He has been a part of Team USA's support staff at each of the past three Pan American Games, while in 2002, he was appointed the head coach of the U.S. team at the International Sailing Federation World Sailing Games in Marseille, France. He served as an assistant coach for Mexico at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, mentoring Hector Guzman '20, who competed for Mexico during the games.
Widely respected for his coaching talents, Iklé has earned the Graham Hall Award for outstanding service by a college sailing professional (2014), US SAILING’s “Doc” Counsilman Science Award (2006), National Coach of the Year Award (2003), and Developmental Coach of the Year Award (1998). In addition, Iklé has served the sport of sailing as a U.S. Sailing Certified Judge, President of the American 505 Class, and board member of various junior sailing associations. He’s also a frequent contributor to Sailing World magazine.
An experienced sailor, Iklé has won numerous regatta championships on the International, North American, National, and District levels in various different classes, including the Laser, 49er, Lightning, 505, FD, One Ton, International Fifty Foot, Mum 30, and Maxi Classes. An accomplished fleet racer, he’s had international success in match and team racing.
Iklé holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Hobart and a master’s degree in environmental studies from Long Island University.
