Naval Academy Athletics

Dillon Paiva enters his 11th season on the coaching staff of the Navy intercollegiate sailing team in 2025-26, being promoted to associate head coach during the summer of 2022 after spending seven years as an assistant coach.
 
Garnering 2025 MAISA Coach of the Year honors, Paiva helped guide the Mids to a stellar 2024-25 campaign that included winning the 2024-25 Navy Director of Athletics Cup and a national runner-up finish. Navy earned berths to four ICSA Championships, including closing out the season by placing second in the Open Fleet Race National Championship. Individually, the Mids produced four ICSA All-Americans while claiming three major conference awards and nine All-MAISA selections, highlighted by All-America selections Nathan Smith and Ellie Alex taking home MAISA Open Skipper of the Year and MAISA Crew of the Year, respectively, to join Paiva in winning the conference’s highest honors.
 
The 2023-24 season had the Mids garner three All-America accolades, with Evie Blauvelt and Ryan Wahba both earning All-American status for the second-straight year, while MAISA Crew of the Year winner Madeline Smith headlined Navy’s eight All-MAISA selections. A strong fall saw both Trenton Shaw and Kate Zurinskas qualify for the ICSA Singlehanded Championships while the Mids posted an eighth-place finish in the ICSA Match Race Championship, setting the stage for the spring where Navy placed 11th in the ICSA Team Race Championship, 13th in the ICSA Women’s Fleet Race Championship and eighth in the ICSA’s open fleet race finals.
 
Recording their fourth-straight season with five-or-more ICSA All-Americans, the 2022-23 Navy squad used a strong fall that included Gavin McJones finishing 12th at ICSA Men’s Singlehanded Championship to propel themselves in the spring championships, placing 17th in the ICSA Women’s Fleet Race Nationals, earning ninth place at the ICSA Team Race Nationals and finishing 18th in the ICSA Fleet Race Nationals.
 
Paiva's seventh campaign at Navy, 2021-22, had the program place amongst the top-10 teams in each of the three spring ICSA National Championships during the over a two-week span, highlighted by recording sixth-place marks in both the team race and fleet race championships. The spring season built off a strong fall, as second-place finish in November's ICSA Match Race Championship was the Midshipmen's best finish in the event since winning the ICSA Match Race Championship title during the 2011 season. Individually, a total of five athletes were named to the ICSA All-America Teams, the third-straight campaign with at least five All-America honorees for the Mids.
 
In his sixth year at Navy, the 2020-21 season, Paiva helped lead the Midshipmen to one of the most successful season's in program history. Navy captured a pair of national titles along with placing in the top-10 of all three doublehanded national championships.
 
The Mids posted eight top-five finishes including taking first place at the Annapolis National Offshore Regatta in the fall along with posting top finishes at the Navy Quad Meet and Navy Spring Regatta. The first national championship for the Midshipmen came at the ICSA Team Race National Championship, earning the Walter C. Wood Trophy for the first time since the 1992 season after recording a 17-2 record over the two days of competition. The run of national success continued for Navy just five days later when it clinched the Henry A. Morse Trophy for the ICSA Coed National Championship, marking its second national title within a week.
 
JC Hermus was named the Everett B. Morris College Sailor of the Year by the ICSA, becoming the first Midshipman to win the award since 1995. Additionally, eight Mids earned All-American honors including Hermus, Connor Bayless, Olivia de Olazarra, Fiona Lobon, Kimmie Leonard, Gray Benson, Madeline Pruzan and Sally Johnson.
 
In his fifth season on staff, Paiva helped the Midshipmen place eight individuals on the All-MAISA Teams. Navy also sent Jessica McJones and Gavin McJones to the fall ICSA Singlehanded Championships. Gavin McJones placed 10th overall as an individual in the men’s field with Jessica McJones placing 12th in the women’s division.
 
During the 2018-19 season, Pavia helped guide the Midshipmen to a third-place finish at the ICSA Coed National Championship. Navy also finished sixth in the Team Race National Championship and 10th in the Women's National Championship during the spring season. He helped coach All-American Skippers JC Hermus and Parker Loftus, along with All-American Crew Ana, Mier. Pavia also assisted Jessica McJones to a 10th-place finish at the ICSA Women's Singlehanded National Championship in the fall.
 
In 2017-18, Paiva helped the Midshipmen qualify for the Coed and Women's Spring National Championships. Navy finished 10th and 13th, respectively, to cap off the season. He also helped coach All-American Ana Meir and Honorable Mention All-Americans Gary Prieto and Peter Hogan.
Navy qualified for all three spring national championships in 2016-17, and had two top-10 finishes. The Mids placed fifth at the ICSA Team Racing National Championship and were eighth at the ICSA Coed Racing National Championships. Additionally, Gary Prieto placed ninth at the ICSA Singlehanded National Championship in the fall.
 
Navy had two top-10 national championship team finishes in 2015-16, including a seventh-place showing at the ICSA Coed Dinghy National Championship. Navy earned two All-America accolades with Megan Hough being named to the ICSA All-America Crew First Team and Patrick Snow being named to the ICSA All-America Coed Skipper Honorable Mention list.
 
Paiva has 10 years of experience as a sailing instructor and race coach and he most recently worked at the Annapolis Yacht Club. Paiva is a U.S. Sailing Level 3 certified sailing coach with extensive experience racing Club 420's at the national level.
 
Paiva was a standout college sailor at Old Dominion and was named the 2013 ICSA Robert H. Hobbs Sportsman of the Year.
 
Pavia competed at the ICSA Coed Dinghy Nationals every year he was on the team, was a two-time team captain and a three-time team MVP. He was also a member of the 2012 U.S. Sailing Olympic Development Team.
 
Paiva, a Raleigh, N.C. native, graduated from Old Dominion in 2013 with a bachelor's degree in education.