Top teams advance to Dinghy Nationals

New Orleans, LA (May 20, 2022) – The 4-day College Sailing Dinghy National Championship began with two sets of 18 teams competing in a round robin series to advance the top nine from each semifinal series for a chance to win the Henry A. Morse Memorial Trophy.

The 36 teams were selected by an independent selection committee based on teams fleet racing performance throughout the year. Each team was then seeded and divided evenly into Eastern and Western semifinals. The Eastern Semi-Final group started in 420s while the Western Semi-Final Group started in FJs.

The racing began yesterday in a variable 3-7 knots out of the south west which eventually shifted South/Southeast and built to a consistent 12-15 knots. Leading out of the Eastern semifinal was Stanford University with a total 65 points which is a 14 point lead over the 2nd place Georgetown Hoyas.

“We worked well together today and it showed,” said Stanford coach Chris Klevan. “There were some tricky aspects to the racecourse. The team continued to talk about those things as a group throughout the day. It was fun for me to be a part of it but the real prize comes over the weekend.”

The A division leaders within the Eastern SemiFinal, after day one, were Jack Egan ‘25, Catherine Webb ‘23 and Benjamin Markert ‘23 of Yale University. They held a seven point lead over Jack Reiter ‘22 and Annabelle Ayer ‘22 of Georgetown University and Cameron Giblin ‘23 and Andrea Reifkohl Gonzalez ‘24 of Tulane University.

The B division leaders, after day one, were Michelle Lahrkamp ‘23, Patricia Gerli ‘23 and Matthew Hogan ‘21 of Stanford. They held a nine point lead over Lachlain McGranahan ‘24, Alexandra Dorofeev ‘25 and Marbella Marlo ‘24 of Harvard University. Georgetown University sailors, Mariner Fagan ‘24 and Jack Hogan ‘22, trailed Harvard by 11 points.

“Beginning of the day was challenging because it was very light and shifty but as the day went on it gradually got more windy,” noted Skipper Mariner Fagan ‘24 of Georgetown. “The breeze stabled slightly which made it a little more enjoyable.” His crew Jack Hogan ‘22 continued, “I think that across the day it was really important to find the pressure and connect one puff to the next. All in all it was a ton of fun especially when the breeze came up.”

After day one, leading out of the Western semifinal was Roger Williams with a total of 68 points which was a 2 point lead over 2nd place Dartmouth College. Boston College and Hobart and William Smith Colleges were tied for third with a total of 78 points. Boston College held a tiebreaker over Hobart and William Smith for having more high-place finishes.

The A Division leaders, after day one, were Robert Bragg ‘23, Eloise Burn ‘21 and Drew Clutterbuck ‘23 of Dartmouth College with a total of 25 points. They held an eight point lead over JC Hermus ‘22 and Fiona Lobon ‘22 of the United States Naval Academy. In third place, Jack DeNatale ‘22, Sophia Reineke ‘22, Michaela O’Brien ‘24, Sarah Schuman ‘25 and Laura Ferraris ‘22 of Boston College trailed Navy by one point with a total of 35 points.

“I think we had some good moments today,” noted Fiona Lobon ‘22 of the United States Naval Academy after day one. “Definitely have some work to do tomorrow. Looking forward to some more constant breeze hopefully and get to work tomorrow.”

The B Division leaders, after day one, were Cameron Wood ‘22 and Emily Gildea ‘21 of Roger Williams University. They held an 8 point lead over Daniel Unangst ‘24 and Jack Farrell ‘23 of the United States Coast Guard Academy. Trailing, just three points behind, in third place were Olivia Belda ‘22, Jack Murphy ‘22, Emma Montgomery ‘22 and Madeline McGrath ‘22 of Brown University with a total of 30 points.

“It was really light and hot so we were focusing on staying cool and acclimating to the conditions,” said Emma Montgomery ‘22 of Brown University after day one. “We were trying to play it conservative because there’s a lot more racing that could happen over the next two to three days.”

The second day of the semifinals kicked off today with 12-15 knot winds out of the South/Southeast, which would slightly die throughout the day. Stanford University would hold on to their lead and win the Eastern semifinal regatta with a total of 105 points. Finishing in second, Yale University with 131 points. In third place, Tulane University with 158 points.

However, the Eastern semifinal did not disappoint. Spots for the eighth and ninth qualifying spot to get to the finals came down to the final two races. Boston University and St. Mary’s College of Maryland were able to scrape together two barn-burning final races to get into the finals.

“One of the most fun things about College Sailing is that we play as a team,” noted St. Mary’s coach, Adam Werblow. “This week, the Seahawks have had to empty the bench due to six players with positive COVID tests. Everyone supported one another and, in the end, that was just enough to jump through the hoop to get to the finals.”

The A division winners of the Eastern semifinal are Jack Egan ‘25, Catherine Webb ‘23, Benjamin Markert ‘23, Shawn Harvey ‘22, and Sonia Lingos-Utley ‘22 of Yale University. They finished with 57 points and held a twelve point lead over Cameron Giblin ‘23 and Andrea Reifkohl Gonzalez ‘24 of Tulane University who finished with 65 points. Finishing in third place with 76 Points was Jack Parkin ‘21, Sammy Pickell ‘22 and AnaClare Sole ‘23 from Stanford University.

The B division winners are Michelle Lahrkamp ‘23, Patricia Gerli ‘23, Wiley Rogers ‘22, and Matthew Hogan ‘21 from Stanford University. They finished with a 40 point lead over Lachlain McGranahan ‘24, Alexandra Dorofeev ‘25, Marbella Marlo ‘24, Emma Kaneti ‘22, and Marleigh Belsley ‘24 of Harvard University. Yale University sailors Teddy Nicolosi ‘24 and Alisha Arcot ‘23 finished five points behind Harvard.

“Today went really well for us. We played a more conservative game,” shared Andrea Reifkohl Gonzalez ‘24 of Tulane University. “The conditions were really nice, moderate to high teens breeze so it was good.”

The Western semifinals were a little less dramatic than the Eastern as the top nine finishers all had a pretty safe gap on the 10th and below finishers. University of Rhode Island came out winning the semifinals with a total of 137 points. Hobart and William and Smith Colleges finished second with 140 points. Roger Williams University finished third with 147 points.

The A division winners of the Western semifinals are JC Hermus ‘22, Jack Carminati ‘22, Fiona Lobon ‘22, Ryan Wahba ‘25, and Colin MacGillivary ‘22 of the United States Naval Academy. They finished with 59 points and held a seven point lead over Jake Vickers ‘22 and Katherine Klempen ‘22 of Hobart and William Smith Colleges who finished with 66 points. Finishing in third place with 81 Points was Aidan Naughton ‘22 and Taylor Borges ‘22 from the University of Rhode Island.

The B division winners are Karem Erkmen ‘25 and Edward Gray ‘22 from the University of Rhode Island. They finished with a two point lead over Cameron Wood ‘22, Mathieu Dale ‘25, Emily Gildea ‘21, and Anika Irene ‘23 of Roger Williams University. United States Coast Guard Academy sailors, Daniel Unangst ‘24, Nicholas Reeser ‘25, Jack Farrell ‘23, and Lauren O’ Neill ‘24 finished two points behind Roger Williams.

The top 9 teams from each semifinals advance to the College Sailing Open Championship held on May 21-22.

Event information – Eastern Results – Western Results – Facebook

2022 College Spring Nationals
May 16-18 – Open Team Racing
May 19-22 – Open Doublehanded Fleet Racing
May 23-26 – Women’s Doublehanded Fleet Racing