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#12 St. Mary’s College of Maryland showed that they’re the best women’s team in MAISA with an emphatic win at the MAISA Women’s Championship at the Naval Academy. Seniors Greer Wattson and Elizabeth Dennison put together an extremely impressive score-line with no race outside the top-7 and 8 race wins throughout the 15 race regatta. The two won B-division decisively and were the catalyst behind St. Mary’s championship effort. Watson and Dennison finished with 44 points.
Rose Edwards (‘18) and Emily Fung (‘17) won A-division with 51 points for #11 Georgetown. Ms. Edwards was also named MAISA Women’s sailor of the year.
St. Mary’s started strong, taking the lead after the first race of the regatta. They surrendered that lead only for two races throughout the rest of the event.
Georgetown University finished 2nd at the event with #13 George Washington finishing 3rd. #16 Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Cornell University, University of Pennsylvania, Fordham, #18 Navy and University of Virginia filled the 4th through 9th sport, accordingly, and will represent MAISA at the ICSA Semi-finals, May 23-24, in Charleston, SC.
#5 Coast Guard showed up to win the Reed Trophy, NEISA Women’s Championship, hosted by Brown University, to defend their 2016 NEISA crown. The Bears of Coast Guard passed Boston College late on Saturday and were able to hold of the Eagles throughout Sunday.
The Bears finished the regatta with 112 points and scored only one double digit finish throughout the entire event.
Coast Guard, returned all but one sailor from their 2016 New England, Atlantic Coast and National Championship victory tour. When Nikki Barnes, Anna Morin and Dana Rohde are all on the race course together, the Bears are undefeated on the women’s circuit.
This year’s championship team was led by junior Dana Rohde and freshman Maddie Ekin in B-division. The two ladies put together an impressive scoreline with 45 points through 14 races.
Erika Reineke (‘17) and Allison Ferraris (‘17) won A-division with 63 points. NEISA’s A-Division featured some of the best sailors in the country and the Eagle’s victory in the division came down to the last race. Ms. Reineke was named NEISA Women’s sailor of the Year.
#2 Boston College finished second overall with 121 points and #1 Yale came in 3rd, 153 points.
#8 Boston University, #3 Brown, #4 Rhode Island, #14 Dartmouth, #10 Tufts, ,#9 Vermont and Bowdoin finished 4th through 10th accordingly and will represent NEISA at the Semi-Finals, May 23-24 in Charleston, SC.
Notably, #17 Harvard missed the cut by the narrowest of margins. Tied with the Bowdoin Polar Bears at the conclusion of racing, the two schools split head-to-head races. Moreover, they had the same number of 1st place finishes, seconds, thirds and fourths. Bowdoin had more 5th place finishes, the eventual tiebreaker that differentiates staying alive, heading to nationals and going home thoroughly disappointed.
“The fleet was stacked,” stated Bowdoin Head Coach Frank Pizzo. “The event could not have been much closer,” continued Pizzo. “For the Polar Bears, we really just tried to focus on our boats throughout the event.  On Saturday, we simply tried to use our speed and conservative tactics to keep our team in the hunt.  It was obviously tough to end the day with a DSQ in A division.  As a team we focused on remaining positive and controlling the controllables.”
“We knew the points were compressing throughout Sunday but really tried to just have good starts and sail smart conservative races.  We had our best start of the day in A division in race 14 and it allowed for a great race.  For the B race, we were able to get off Ok in the middle but saw others teams that we were competing against over early or not having great starts.  We were all pretty even at the second windward mark and new every single point would matter and did just enough.  A tension convention for sure.”
MCSA and SEISA Coed Champs and NWICSA Team Racing headlines the coed weekend
University of Wisconsin won the MCSA Coed Championship, hosted by Northwestern College with 54 points after 10 races in each division. Senior Charles Bocklet with Sophomore Maggie Houtz won B-Division for the Badgers with 24 points.
Mark Davies (‘20) and Michael Pauleen (‘18) won A-Division for the Northwestern University Wildcats. Northwestern finished 2nd overall at the event.
In addition to Wisconsin and Northwestern, UW Milwaukee, Michigan and Marquette will be heading to the ICSA Coed Semi-finals, May 30-31 in Charleston, SC.
Texas A&M University at Galveston won the SEISA Coed Championship decisively. The aggies won all but 4 of the 18 total races, obviously, winning both divisions in the process, John Hanna (‘19) with Megan Ferguson (‘17) and Haley Walker (‘18) in A-division. Alexander Thompson (‘18) with Hannah Barlow (‘20) and Megan Ferguson (‘17) in B-division.
Texas A&M finished 2nd, claiming the last spot offered to the Semifinals with a 2 point finish over Tulane University.
Oregon State University won the NWICSA Team Race Championship in dramatic fashion of the University of Washington Huskies. After a 1-2 record against the huskies during the first 3 round robins, the Beavers of Oregon State won both of the Final 2 head to head races to secure a trip to Charleston for the Team Race Nationals in Charleston, May 27-29.
MIT won their home event over the weekend. After 33 total races on the Charles River only 1 point could discern The Engineers from the Boston College Eagles at the 82nd Boston Dinghy Challenge Cup. MIT charged after a slow start to take the lead after the 6th race of the regatta and never relinquished it thereafter.
Ty Ingram (‘18) and Sameena Shaffeeullah (’19) won A-Division for the home team with 50 points. Charles “Scotty” Sinks (‘18) and Lily McGrath (‘18) won B-Division for the Eagles after a tie-breaker with MIT’s Alexander Stewart (‘17) and Paige Omura (‘17). Wade Waddell (‘19) of BC with Emma Perry (‘19) won C-Division by nearly 30 points.
Written by Chris Klevan
Photos by © 2017 Rob Migliaccio, All Rights Reserved

April 16, 2017– The Women’s Pacific Coast Championship was held at UC San Diego over the weekend. What looked like champagne conditions were met with excellent sailing. Trailing after the first day of racing, the #6 Stanford Cardinal turned it around to take home the Championship.
Stanford’s Senior Maeve White, with sophomore Meg Gerli, won A-division impressively with 39 points after 15 races sailed. They really turned it on Sunday as Stanford made their move.
“It is so fun to be coaching these talented women and to see all their hard work and dedication,” said Assistant Coach, Atlantic Brugman. “Coaching the women’s team has brought back some great memories from my time in college and has made me miss sailing, especially in shifty venues. Sometimes I wish it were me going in for the next set!”
Brugman was a two-time All-American skipper for the Conn College Camels and is currently an Olympic hopeful in the 470 class.
Despite surrendering a lead, the Santa Barbara Gauchos finished second overall and secured a berth to the ICSA Semi-finals regatta, which is ultimately the goal of the Conference Championship. With 51 points in B-Division, Senior Olivia Godfrey and Julia Downey (‘20) with Sarah Scoffone (‘19) led the effort for the Gauchos.
The University of Southern California Trojans and the University of Hawaii Rainbows claimed the final two spots offered by the regatta. They will join the Cardinal and the Gauchos at the Semi-Final regatta, May 22-23 at College of Charleston.
#1 Yale and #5 Navy win the first full fleet racing weekend
The Thompson Trophy was held at the United States Coast Guard Academy but was hosted and run by Connecticut College. Coming directly from the climactic culmination of the Team Race season, the regatta served as the transition from the Team Race season to the Fleet Race season. The regatta was flush with talent and the extremely challenging conditions offered showed the many spectators who the best sailors in the nation were. The answer to that question was undoubtedly the Yale Bulldogs.
#1 Yale showcased teams of the present and of the future for both coed and women’s sailing. Seniors Ian Barrows and Clara Robertson were on fire, lining up an extremely consistent score-line throughout a regatta that was anything but. Posting only one score outside the top-7, the two finished with 51 points through 13 races, which was enough for a 20 point victory in A division.
The Freshman Louisa Nordstrom, with Isabelle Rossi De Leon (‘17) and Claire Huebner (‘18) were equally effective winning C-Division for the Bulldogs with 69 points in 13 races. The talent of Ms. Nordstrom coupled with that of Sophomore Nic Baird and a line of great crew-work, spanning a half decade with no signs of declining, makes the Yale Sailing dynasty as daunting as ever.
#11 MIT finished second overall at the regatta with 255 points, 65 points behind Yale, while #7 College of Charleston finished 3rd overall with 256 points. Trailing throughout the regatta, the MIT Engineers continued to show heart as they snuck past the cougars in the last race of the 39 race event.
The Navy Spring regatta was hosted by the United States Naval Academy. The home team won the event with 131 points through 15 races in each division. Junior Gary Prieto, with sophomore Ana Mier won B-Division to help bring home the victory for the #5 Navy Midshipmen.
The rivalry in MAISA continues to heat up as #2 Georgetown finished second overall, with 135 points, only four points behind the midshipmen. Sophomore Campbell D’Eliscu won A-division with 74 points.
The Fordham Rams finished 3rd overall with 180 total points.
Written by Chris Klevan, Photos provided by Atlantic Brugman

The Fowle Trophy, New England’s Team Race Championship was sailed on Mystic Lake, home of the Tufts University Jumbos. Forty degree weather and massive, unwieldy puffs greeted the sailors, Saturday morning. Appropriately, the feel of the regatta was that of a typical morning at West Kirby Yacht Club; with small courses, short on water, unusual marks sporting numbered flags whipping in the wind and great team racing, it was hard not to think of the Wilson Trophy, the UK’s Team Race Championship. To be able to capture this spirit of team racing made Tufts an ideal venue for this edition of the qualifier.
The #1 Yale University Bulldogs took care of business in victory. This was the expected outcome as Yale has been the best team throughout the past half-decade. It was the other 3 New England berths offered that were largely uncertain.
Last weekend we saw the seemingly immortal Bulldogs look beatable as they were defeated at the Marchiando by a hot #4 Dartmouth Big Green in conditions that did indeed look similar to what was seen over the weekend on Mystic Lake. However, nothing seemed to prepare some of the best team race teams in the nation for what would be rolling down the hills bordering Mystic Lake.
As some predicted, #12 Tufts looked good at home and in the lark, boats perfect for the lake and team racing in general. Tufts finished the regatta second overall and will be heading to nationals due to an extremely clutch finish going 5-0 in the top 6 final round. #11 MIT also looked strong. Not too unlike Tufts, this team knows how to team race in the unpredictable waters of the Charles River, the iconic college sailing venue in New England. That coupled with the coaching expertise of team race champion coach Matt Lindblad, MIT won the top-8 second round with a 6-1 record. Both Tufts and MIT boasted 15-8 overall records.
What few predicted was that the final qualifying spot would be decided between #4 Dartmouth, #2 Boston College and #13 Roger Williams. Tied with Dartmouth, nut owning the tie-breaker at 14-9, the BC Eagles claimed the final spot with a late win over Yale. Roger Williams finished one win behind with a 13-10 record. Neither #4 Dartmouth and #13 Roger Williams will be present in the field of 16 at the Team Race National Championship, May 27-19.
The #1 Yale Bulldog’s effort came from team race stalwarts, Ian Barrows (‘17), Mitchell Kiss (‘17), Malcom Lamphere (‘18), Nic Baird (‘19) and crews, Natalya Doris (‘17), Clara Robertson (‘17), Chris Champa (‘18) and Graceann Nicolosi (‘20). Yale finished the regatta with an impressive 18-5 record and the question now becomes, which of the qualifying teams is up to the task of knocking off the perennial favorite.
“We were happy to accomplish our main goal of getting to the Nationals this weekend, and coming away with a win was an added bonus in such a shifty, volatile venue,” said Yale assistant coach Joe Morris.
“There are some clear takeaways from the racing as well, so it’s great to have some focus on the things we need to work on in the long period between now and June, continued Morris. “The team is very talented, but diverse. Each of the sailors brings quite a different set of skills/personality to the group, which can be both very useful and very challenging in terms of balancing the starting team.”
Morris is a 2012 Yale graduate, All-American and Olympian. In reflecting on the success of this Yale team, Mr. Morris had this to say:
“The team’s recent success can be attributed to a number of things but, in my eyes, nothing else truly compares to hard work and focus. This group works hard, and much of that is a result of the culture created by the previous sailors and the head coaches Zack Leonard and Bill Healy. Having such a rich history stretching back to 1881, I think the team really values and is motivated by the sailing alumni from the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s who work so hard to support the team behind the scenes. It’s a really special thing when the people you look up to, like Jonathan McKee and Steve Benjamin for example, are also rooting you on. The sailors really thrive with the idea of continuing YCYC legacy both on and off the water, as sailors and as people. For me, that is the best part to see, regardless of winning or losing in the end.”
The Prosser Trophy, this year hosted at SUNY Maritime College, is the Mid-Atlantic Team Race Championship. This year’s victory by the U.S. Naval Academy Midshipmen with a 10-4 overall record, suggests a change in the guard in MAISA as Georgetown has won the event three out of the past 4 years. Surprisingly, #5 Navy finished the regatta tied with ODU at 10-4. A sailoff between the 2 teams decided the eventual champion.
#5 Navy has sailed strong all season behind the efforts of Peter Hogan (‘18), Michael Madigan (‘17), Patrick Snow (‘17) and Gary Prieto (‘18) serving as skippers with crews, Mary Robertson (‘17), Sarah Barkley (‘19), Mary Morocco (‘19), Brittany Slook (‘20), Ana Mier (‘19) and Molly Hanson (‘17). With no household names, this Navy team characterizes team racing as no individual part is greater than the product as a whole. With such upward trajectory, most feel that this Navy team poses the greatest threat to Yale. No one predicted that this team would climb to such a level and therefore it is hard to guess how high their ceiling truly is.
“This weekend’s success came from a season full of hard work and cooperation from all players whether a starter, back up driver, heavy air specialist, or snacktician/shore crew,” said coach, Dillon Paiva.
“We graduated two seniors from last year’s nationals team and everyone that returned was determined to do better.  We have tried to keep calm and have clear heads all season, avoiding protests and umpires whenever possible.  A win at the Prosser confirms what [head coach] Ian [Burman] and I have known and felt about this team all season long,” continued Paiva. “We have a long way to go and a lot to accomplish before Memorial Day Weekend, but we are excited and motivated to get there.”
The #2 Georgetown Hoyas finished the regatta third over with a 9-5 record. #6 Hobart and WIlliam Smith College finished tied with #9 George Washington University at 8-6 and advanced to nationals in the last MAISA spot after a 1-race sailoff victory over The Colonials. Congratulations to all teams advancing to the National Championship!
In the South Atlantic, The SAISA Team Race produced two teams to the nationals championship. The #7 College of Charleston Cougars defeated the Eckerd Tritons to win the regatta. Both teams advance to the National Championship.
2017 SEISA Team Race Championship at Texas A&M Galveston sent the undefeated Texas A&M Aggies to the Team Race National Championship.
#1 Yale, #5 Navy, #7 Charleston, #12 Tufts, ODU, #11 MIT, #2 Georgetown, #6 HWS, #2 Boston College, Eckerd and Texas A&M has now all qualified for Team Race Nationals leaving 5 spots remaining for NWICSA, PCCSC and MCSA.
Notably, #4 Dartmouth, #9 George Washington, #13 Roger Williams and #8 Bowdoin ended their seasons on the outside looking in.
SAISA Coed Fleet Race was held at College of Charleston. With 5 berths allocated for the Coed Semifinal Regatta, this was SAISA’s fleet race qualifier. #7 Charleston won the regatta after 11 races sailed in each division by a small margin over USF, 67 points to 69 points respectively. Stefano Perschiera (‘18) and Grace McCarthy (‘18) of Charleston won A-Division with 28 points while Jason D’Agostino (‘17) and Sabine Zinserling (‘20) won B-division for Eckerd. Eckerd finished 3rd overall, Jacksonville 4th and University of Miami 5th to round up the qualifying positions.
“We were definitely underdogs to qualify coming into this regatta,” said Greg Koman, one of the coaches at Miami. “But the team did a great job of having consistent first row starts, seeing the big picture on the race course and avoiding major mistakes,” continued Mr. Koman “Those were the goals.  I knew that if they could do that then we would have a chance.  They did, and they turned it into a berth to Nationals.”
Congrats to all five teams, good luck at the semifinals, May 30.
MCSA Women’s Championship were held at University of Michigan. Eight teams were competing for 4 qualifying spots to the ICSA Women’s Semifinal regatta. University of Wisconsin won decisively with 23 points in 18 races, 9 in each division. Kate Klement (‘17) won A-divsion with Korina Hendricks (‘17) while Andrea Sullivan (‘18) and Carolyn Keck (‘19) split time with Maggie Houtz (‘19). The Wisco Women won both divisions. Northwestern finished 2nd, the Michigan Wolverines 3rd and Notre Dame finished in the 4th spot, edging Minnesota by 2 points.
In NEISA the The Emily Wick Trophy was held at the United States Coast Guard Academy. Breeze was up as the #3 Yale University Bulldogs won the event easily, scoring 182 points in 30 total races. Freshman, Louisa Nordstrom with Claire Huebner (‘18) and Isabelle Rossi De Leon (‘17) won B-division for the Bulldogs and Junior, Casey Klingler finished second in A-division with Christine Klingler (‘20) and Caroline Colwell (‘18). #7 Rhode Island finished second overall behind an A-division win by senior Rachel Bryer sailing with Hannah Scanlon (‘18). #4 Charleston finished 3rd overall.
Written by Chris Klevan
Photos provided by Ken Legler and Hannah Noll