After four years at the helm of the Colonials’ sailing program, head coach John Pearce is leaving his position, athletic director Patrick Nero announced Wednesday.

Pearce will move on to the national ranks after accepting a position with US Sailing as the Youth Development Director. Pearce is returning to the organization after competing with the US Sailing Team in 2005 and 2006 as well as finishing fifth out of 33 racers in the 2007 Olympic trials.

“I’m excited for this opportunity, but leaving GW is very difficult,” Pearce said in a release. “I want to thank the student-athletes, staff, coaches and administrators for making the last four years a great experience for me. I’ll be following the program closely and can’t wait to see what GW Sailing accomplishes in the coming years.”

Pearce was the first-ever head coach of the new GW varsity program that began in 2012 and was quick to lead the Colonials to success.

With a 17th overall finish in the coed nationals and 10th overall finishes in both the Fowle Trophy Standings and the women’s nationals it was clear they were among the top teams in the country during the 2015-2016 season.

According to the release, assistant coach Catherine Shanahan will take over as interim head coach while the athletics department searches for a replacement.