John Mollicone – the Barry Family Director of Sailing Chair and a 1998 graduate of Boston University – has been the head coach of coed and women's sailing at Brown since 1999.

Mollicone was an All-American Skipper at BU in 1998, leading his team to the New England Dinghy Championship and finishing third at the ICSA Dinghy National Championship. Mollicone’s coaching resume at Brown University includes:

2022 and 2023 Ivy League Coach of the Year
2020 Sail1Design/Sailing Anarchy Coach of the Year
2024 Fowle Trophy Champions as "best overall team" in college sailing
2023 College Sailing Match Race National Champions
2019 College Sailing/Sperry Women's National Champions
2019 College Sailing/Quantum Sails Women's Sailor of the Year
106 sailors selected to the College Sailing All-American Team since 2000
156 sailors selected to the College Sailing All-Academic Team since 2006
157 sailors selected to the All-New England Team since 2000
89 College Sailing National Championship appearances since 1999
Top five overall finishes at 47 College Sailing National Championships since 1999
Winners of 27 New England Championships since 1999
Winners of eight Atlantic Coast Championships and Fall Showcases since 1999

In 2010, Mollicone was awarded the U.S. Sailing National Sportsmanship Award for the Van Alan Clark Trophy and won the J-24 World Championship in Malmo, Sweden. He was a member of the 2011 U.S. Sailing Team, winning a Silver medal in J-24's at the 2011 Pan-American Games in Puerto Vallarta, MX. Mollicone was named a U.S. Sailing Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Finalist in 2012 after winning the J-24 North American and National Championships, and finishing second at the 96-boat J/24 World Championship.

In 2013 Mollicone won the J-24 World Championship for a second time in Howth, Ireland, along with the J-24 Midwinter, J-70 Midwinter, and J-24 North American Championships. In 2014, Mollicone won the J-70 and J-24 Midwinter Championships, the J-70 North American Championship, finished second at the J/24 U.S. National Championship, and third at the 70-boat J/24 World Championship in Newport, R.I. Mollicone finished third at 2015 J/70 World Championship in La Rochelle, France and 3rd at the 2015 J/24 North American Championship.

In 2017, Mollicone was the winning tactician in the 42-boat J/70 Class at Quantum Key West Race Week and in the NYYC/Swan 42 Nationals. In 2018, Mollicone finished 3rd at the J/24 North American Championship, and finished 2nd out of 57 J/70s at the Marblehead NOOD Regatta and 1st out of 47 J/70s at the Ted Hood Regatta as tactician. Mollicone finished 2nd at the 2020 J/24 Midwinter Championship in Melbourne, Fla. in February 2020.

In 2021, Mollicone was the winning skipper at the J/24 Midwinter Championship, tactician for the Boat of the Week at Block Island Race Week, and won the New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta and ORC East Coast Championship as tactician on the Swan 42 "Impetuous". Mollicone finished 4th out of 38 boats at the 2022 J/24 World Championship in Corpus Christi, Texas as skipper, and won the J/24 Pre-Worlds. In 2023, Mollicone was the winning skipper at both the J/24 Midwinter and North American Championships, and the winning tactician on boats at both Block Island Race Week and the ORC East Coast Championship. In 2024, he finished third at the J/24 North American Championship as helmsman. As a tactician, Mollicone finished second in New York Yacht Club Race Week , first overall in ORC at the Ida Lewis Trophy, and fourth out of 19 boats in ORC Class B at the 2024 ORC World Championship in Newport, RI on board the Swan 42 "Impetuous".

Mollicone currently lives in Cranston, R.I. with his wife Holly and daughter Ava where he actively races everything from dinghies to keelboats.

Brown University Athletics

2025-26 Coed Sailing Roster

Michelle Kaneti

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