Finals set at College Team Race Nationals

Norfolk, VA (May 27, 2018) – Racing continued today in the LaserPerformance Team Race National Championship on the Elizabeth River at Old Dominion University. The top sixteen collegiate team racing teams in the nation is vying for the national title and the Walter C. Wood Trophy.

The winds stayed strong today and ranged from 10-16 knots all day from the southwest. Temperatures were in the high 80s. It was good team racing conditions with crews out hiking. There were three umpire boats assigned to each race, so they were able to view the action and make good calls on the water.

The first round, with all 16 teams, was completed by midday. There were 24 races left in the round and places 9-16 were determined as well as the top eight teams, who advanced to the next round of racing. The sailors are competing in Z420s for the top 8 and final four rounds on a digital N course. All scores carry over from each round of racing.

Top 8 racing got underway this afternoon around 1 p.m. and completed around 5 p.m. This round determined places 5-8 and solidified the four teams advancing to the final four round, which will take place tomorrow.

In this morning’s racing in the first round, Stanford University won the remainder of their races and they moved into the top 8 as well as George Washington University and the College of Charleston, who remained in first place from yesterday.

The top 8 racing this afternoon was competitive and exciting to watch. No one team came out of the round clean everyone took a loss, but the team with the best score in the top 8 was Georgetown University, who lost one race to Charleston. They had five losses in the first round, so they basically had to win every race in the top 8 to advance to the final four. Lucky for them they were able to move on and into fourth place despite their loss.

“We had great conditions today and a nice long course,” says Mike Callahan, head coach for Georgetown University. “The consensus as a team is that we felt better in Z420s – we knew we would be sailing them in the final rounds of the regatta, so we spent time practicing in them beforehand.

“They were all tough races in the top 8, there are no easy teams and every race was close. To get into the final four it came down to our last race with Boston College, if we lost we would have been knocked out.”

Sailing for Georgetown is: Roger Dorr ’18, Rebecca Fung ’19, Sean Segerblom ’20, Meaghan MacRae ’18, William Logue ’20 and Rose Edwards ’18.

Holding onto first place is the College of Charleston. Charleston had three losses to Boston College, Roger Williams and Hobart and William Smith Colleges, but because of their strong record from the first round carrying over, it gave them an edge today.

“Our goal is to be in the final four and have good racing,” says Ward Cromwell, head coach for Charleston. “We will look to do the same things we did today – get off the line, sail clean and team race hard when we need to.

“Every team in the top 8 is good and some of them will not get to sail tomorrow, so it is great for us that we get to sail.”

Sailing for Charleston is: Christophe Killian ’18, Elizabeth Pemberton ’18, Augie Dale ’19, Katherine Lounsbury ’20, Stefano Peschiera ’18 and Grace McCarthy ’18.

Moving into second place is Hobart and William Smith Colleges, who moved up from third yesterday. They sailed a solid first round and sustained three loses in the top 8.

Sailing for Hobart and William Smith is: Greiner Hobbs ’18, Haley Okun ’18, Charles Miller ’19, Lindsey Kloc ’19, Hector Guzman ’20 and Maya Weber ’20.

In third place is Roger Williams University, who had three losses in the second round of racing today. They moved down one place from yesterday losing a tiebreaker to Hobart and William Smith.

Sailing for Roger Williams is: Mackenzie Bryan ’18, Jennifer Agell ’19, Martim Anderson ’18, Rebecca Anderson ’18, Conner Harding ’19 and Michael McBrien ’18.

Racing is scheduled to continue tomorrow at 10 a.m. with the final four round. No race can start after 5 p.m. An awards ceremony for the competitors will be held after racing at the Old Dominion Sailing Center.

Day Two Results, (wins and losses)
1. College of Charleston, 18-4
2. Hobart and William Smith Colleges, 17-5
3. Roger Williams University, 17-5
4. Georgetown University, 16-6

Final Scores, places 5-8, (wins and losses)
5. Stanford University, 14-8
6. Boston College, 14-8
7. Yale University, 14-8
8. George Washington University, 10-12

Final Scores, places 9-16 (wins and losses)
9. Dartmouth College, 7-8
10. Cornell University, 5-10
11. University of California at Santa Barbara, 5-10
12. University of South Florida, 4-11
13. Texas A&M University at Galveston, 3-12
14. University of Wisconsin, 2-13
15. University of Michigan, 2-13
16. University of Washington, 0-15

Event details – Results – Facebook

Follow the events live via the regatta app from US Sailing.

Background: The ICSA is the governing authority for sailing competition at colleges and universities throughout the United States and in some parts of Canada. There are seven Conferences that schedule and administer regattas within their established geographic regions, with ICSA hosting two national championships in the fall (singlehanded, match racing) and three national championships in the spring (team, women’s, coed). collegesailing.org

2018 Spring Nationals – Norfolk, VA
5/22-25 – Women’s National Championship
5/26-28 – Team Race National Championship
5/29-6/1 – Coed National Championship

Source: Jennifer Mitchell |Toile à Voile for ICSA