NEW LONDON, Conn. — 

U.S. Coast Guard Academy Athletics is proud to recognize sophomore sailor Richard Pokorny (Brick Township, N.J.) and senior volleyball player Courtney Shire (Cape May, N.J.) as the CoastGuardAthletics.com Cadet-Athletes of the Week, presented by First Command, for the week ending on Sunday, November 8th.

Pokorny represented Bears sailing at the Intercollegiate Sailing Association's Open Singlehanded Nationals over the weekend. After two days of challenging conditions at American Yacht Club in Rye, New York, the sophomore placed 16th in a field of the nation's top 18 singlehanded specialists. Pokorny's appearance at the regatta was the first of his career.

Shire totaled 59 digs with just two receiving errors during a three-game stretch for Bears volleyball last week, averaging almost 20 digs per game in that span. The senior libero and captain had 14 in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) win over Mount Holyoke College last Tuesday, and later matched her career-high of 31 in Saturday's five-set loss to Emerson College. She rounded out the week with 14 against non-conference Brandeis University.

Pokorny and the Coast Guard Academy sailing team now set their sights on the offseason as they begin preparing for their 2027 spring season. Shire and women's volleyball will head back to Boston tonight as the #6 seed in the 2026 NEWMAC Championship Tournament, visiting #3 Emerson for a rematch of Saturday's meeting. Shire will head into the match as the NEWMAC's leader in both digs (483) and digs per set (5.08).