ICSA Team Race Spring Season Outlook. Sail1Design previews, by district, the teams to watch for the 2013 spring college sailing season. All photos courtesy of Ken Legler Sailing.
By Ariwaves writer Martha Pitt
With the spring season upon us, interconference team racing kicks off this weekend with the Frank Mendelblatt Team Race hosted by Eckerd College in Florida. This spring, the College of Charleston Cougars will be looking to defend their national title, while teams like Stanford, Georgetown and Roger Williams who missed out on last year’s final four at nationals, and in particular Yale who missed out on a nationals berth after a commanding season, will all have their eyes set on the top.
*filling in this week for Bill is Joe Morris, Yale sailing alum, because Bill was stuck in the Blizzard of 2013. Thanks, Joe.
PCCSC
Stanford – Stanford is returning the entire team from last year’s conference championship team including all 3 skippers and crews. All American skippers Kevin Laube and Oliver Toole will lead the way with all American crew Kelly Ortel. A really deep team with three competitive team race teams will help raise the level of this Cardinal squad. This team should make a run at nationals with great crews like Haley Kirk, Helena Scutt, Tally Buckstaff and Yuri Namikawa. Other skippers like Kieran Chung, Mateo Vargas and Hans Henken will make this a team that can compete with anyone.
University of Hawaii – Returning Skippers Adam Pokras and Madeline “mad dog” Kennedy will make this team really fast. Both Adam and “Mad Dog” are two of the faster sailors in the conference and will win races on just speed alone. Both these boats have been team racing for a few years so they will have the moves. Look for the Bow’s to challenge Stanford for the top spot in the conference.
USC – This team, like Stanford will bring lots of experience to the conference championship with Max Hutcheson and Mallory Schluter leading the team. These two boats have competed lots before and will have the experience to not make the little mistakes and be a disciplined team race team. If they can stay disciplined at the conference championship and show their speed in the light conditions in San Diego this will be a competitive team for the win.
UCSB – Santa Barbara is the wild card team. This is a totally new team! The top players from last year’s team that made it to the nationals have graduated to give way to a talented freshman class. Ian Stokes from VA will lead the way with his vast team racing from the high school Norfolk scene. These boats will be fast but the big question is will they be able to put it all together at the conference championships? If they do they will be a scary team.
CSULB – Long Beach is one of the most talented teams in our conference with Shane Young leading the team both on and off the water. This will be a team that will most likely do most of their damage fleet racing but it will be fun to see them team race and see how they d
CMA – Cal. Maritime has a new coach in Parker Mitchell from Washington College. That MAISA team race experience could really help the Keelhaulers take a big step in their team racing.
NWICSA
This will be a really tight division with all three of these teams battling it out. All of these teams have two strong boats the question will be who will have the third boat that will make the difference.
Oregon – Oregon was the top team in the NW with Philip Gordon back as their leader. The Ducks made it to nationals last year and they will make a run for a repeat visit. The Oregon team spent some time last year on the east coast and a lot of time in CA. If they do that again that experience should keep them above the charge from the other two powerhouses in their conference.
University of Washington – The Huskies have shown lots of depth in fleet racing events this fall with multiple teams in the top 5 of fleet races in conference. This is a team that will have lots of speed with three boats.
Western Washington – Western is a little bit of a wild card team as they have been good all year in fleet racing but will that translate to team racing? Time will tell but the Vikings are going to put up a fight at the NW team racing champs.
MCSA
UMichigan – Michigan had a strong end to their fall season, winning the MCSA Match Race Championship, and taking both the Timme Angsten Intersectional in Chicago and the Sugar Bowl hosted by Tulane at the end of December. All three skippers who competed in team race nationals last year are back, so we will see if they can take both that experience and fall fleet racing momentum and carry it into the spring team racing season.
UWisconsin – Traditionally one of the strongest teams in the Midwest, the Badgers have remained strong this year. They have many potential players for the team racing team, including junior George Kutschenreuter and senior Andrew Fox who sailed at nationals last year. They have managed to break into the Top Eight at two of the last three Team Race Nationals, so they have the potential to continue that momentum. The Midwest teams are always challenged by their inability to consistently sail against the other strong teams in the country, so we will see how well they can overcome that hurdle this spring.
NEISA
Yale – This is a well-rounded team with senior Cam Cullman, junior Chris Segerblom, and sophomore Graham Landy all utilizing different skills. The Bulldogs sailed a great season last year before an upset at NE’s, and will certainly be looking for blood this year.
Brown – The Bears are right there with Yale as a most experienced and skilled team. All three skippers of Colin Smith, Tommy Fink, and Tyler Rice will be back, with Judge Ryan ready to hop in as well. They’ll also benefit from veteran crews like Louisa Chafee and Ashley Noble.
Roger Williams – The Hawks have solid experience with Alec Anderson, who will lead a younger team. Tyler MacDonald will likely be in the mix, with the spaces open for up and coming underclassman to prove themselves.
Boston College – The BC Eagles are probably the best in Northern NEISA, though not by as much this year as they start some freshmen and team racing takes longer to develop. Look for veteran leadership from senior skipper Alex “Cookie” Cook. Will Bailey and Ryan Mullins might be the other skippers but their three freshmen skippers are phenomenal. Freshman Raul Rios will likely start this year with a senior crew and look for Mac Agnese and Erika Reineke to start in the future.
Tufts University – Jumbo sailors were spoilers last year taking Yale out with three wins but they couldn’t quite break into the BC/Brown/Roger logjam at the top of New England’s. Match Racing champion Will Haeger leads the way while Will Hutchings will pick up right where he left off. Replacing Massimo Soriano will be tricky as there are many equally qualified skipper/crew combos among the juniors, sophomores and women’s teams.
Dartmouth College – The Big Green have the enviable roster that allows for two excellent coed team racing units and a women’s team that might be even better. I use the term “might” as women’s teams have a different fleet racing schedule that makes team race training a bit harder at mid-season. The starting skippers might be Matt Wefer/John Renehan/Chris Price but they have at least another four really good male and at least four really good female skippers to choose from. There is one women’s regatta for team racing, the Duplin Trophy at Tufts, and #1 Dartmouth has to be favored there.
MIT – Excellent coaching can engineer wins from two teams, one mostly freshmen. Andrew Sommer and Phil Crain will soon be ready for their best team racing ever. Will senior David Alfonso hold down the third spot or will that honor go to freshman Chris Ford?
Harvard University – It’s a rebuilding year for the Crimson with sophomores Gram Slattery and the Drumm twins leading the way. Freshman Andrew Mollerus could rotate into that group until they find just the right combination.
University of Vermont – Last year the Catamounts shined at the Mystic Lake Team Racing Invitational, a second tier event. If they start the same three skippers of Michael Zonnenberg, Michael Booker and Nate Jermain, they could produce the chemistry to surprise some teams at the first string level.
Boston University – The Terriers, led by Ian Towil, will need to sail into the team race championship via the Staake Trophy. They’re used to adversity and their top skippers and crews always rise to their full potential by season’s end so watch out.
Bowdoin College – The Polar Bears of Bowdoin will be led by junior Pete Edmunds. Their best team racing unit would include Kaylee Schwitzer but, they too need to qualify via the Staake Trophy which conflicts with Women’s champs. Look for Bowdoin to prioritize women’s championships ahead of team racing.
Conn College – Connecticut College always has a strong, deep NEISA program and will contend for team racing top finishes all spring. Conn sailed the Hap Moore in the Fall and did well in that field of teams. They will also try to defend the John Jackson and Sharp trophy wins from last spring. 5th Year Senior Peter Miller and Claire Sacco have one more semester of eligibility and will be a force. Junior Kevin Martland has taken on a leadership role and Senior Steph Kapinos and Kim Bolick are very experienced crews. Soph Jordan Bortwick and Freshman Pearson Potts and Bryce Kopp will see time at TR regattas.
MAISA
Georgetown – Georgetown clearly has a leg up on MAISA in the team racing side of things this spring. With returning College Sailor of the Year, Chris Barnard, and freshman star Nevin Snow, it would be difficult to beat out the Hoyas at the Prosser Trophy. Who GTown decides to add to the squad as their third remains to be seen but expect to see playing time from Alex Post, Sean Golden, and/or Greg Martinez. Also adding to their talents are exceptional crews in Hilary Kenyon and Victoria Lynch.
St. Mary’s – After a second place finish at the big race last spring, expect the Seahawks to return to the game firing. The squad of Josh Greenslade and John Wallace will be looking to move up one notch on the podium this year. With that pair, Jake LaDow, Ian Liberty, or Fletcher Sims could see some time on the roster. The team from the county also has a slew of talented crews in their court.&n
bsp; With Kayla McComb and Mayumi Roller as fully capable crews, and Katie Gluskin, St. Mary’s should be a very tough team to beat this year. In addition, Adam and Bill never miss a beat in the team race coaching game.
Navy – After their fourth place finish at the Prosser Trophy last year, look for the Midshipmen to re-enter the game hungry to move up in the rankings. Navy will be returning much of their starting line up from last season, including skippers Mike Grove and Devin Laviano, while replacing Jason Carminati, due to graduation, with Taylor Vann. Also look to see freshman Mike Popp as well as Miss Mary Hall on the water. As for the crews, Jocelynn Knudsen, Layne Morrison, and Alex Asuncion will be in play, joined by Glenn McKenna and Chelsea Smith.
Old Dominion – ODU is always a contender in MAISA with some exceptionally talented younger sailors. Dillon Paiva will most likely lead a team of Esteban Forrer and Brady Stagg. The Monarchs could also put into play Scott or Evan Hoffman to round out their squad. Chloe Constants generally leads the team from the crews’ perspective along with Alexa Cavalieri.
Hobart & William Smith – Hobart will take a bit of a hit this season with the loss of Sam Blouin and Austin Anderson due to graduation, leaving Johnny Norfleet to lead the team. With Johnny, expect to see Louis Padnos and Elliot Morrill round the Statesmen. Hobart will be led this season by a strong squad of returning crews from last season. Bridget Nannig, Jane Rew, and Catherine Pelo are a formidable group of crews that will certainly add to the success of this team.
SUNY – SUNY is always a perennial contender in MAISA. Sailing for the Privateers this spring will most likely be skippers Harry Scott, Tyler Steel, and Julia Paxton. Rounding out the team will be crews Emma Lamontagne, Paige Conlin, and Thomas Sippel. After a strong performance at the War last fall, and led by Coach Russ, look for SUNY to hit the water this season firing.
Washington College – The Shoremen will most likely be playing skippers Ryan Bailey and Sam Fitzgerald this spring. WAC also showed a lot of talent last fall at the War, so look for these guys to hit the water hungry this spring.
Fordham – Fordham has proven that they have a very talented squad of young sailors in skippers Olin Paine and Alex Jacob. It should be interesting to see who they add to the team as a third, but the team, led by Coach Reed Johnson, is fully capable of taking wins off of any team in MAISA.
UVA – UVA is certainly not to be counted out of the rankings this fall. Gordon Wolcott and Chris Stessing could turn some heads this season and certainly stand to take some wins off of the other MAISA squads.
SAISA
Charleston – As last year’s champions, Charleston will looking for a repeat season! Despite losing the leadership of Zeke Horowitz, lots of experience remains on the Cougar team, who will be returning seniors Mac Mace and Ben Spector, and who will likely be joined by senior Juan Maegli or Chris Banholzer. They will be accompanied by senior Cory DeCollibus, sophomore Ali Blumenthal and freshman Seppi McAdams, or senior Sarah Scudder. You may also see youngsters like Nick Johnstone, Jake Reynolds, Ryan Davidson, Tierney Driscoll, Katie Dowling, and Emily Stuart on the circuit as well.
USF – Hoping to best the conference and on the hunt for a berth to nationals is USF, who will likely be starting Will Stocke and Emily Johnson, Chris Stocke and Ali Yarbrough along with Abby Featherstone & Dominique Wright. This team could certainly be a threat this spring.
Eckerd – The Tritons will likely see senior Wes Byrne, sophomore Tony Collins, and juniors Bob Savoie and Walker Banks sharing starting time with crews Jessica Resnick, Ann Williamson, Erik Brydges, and Amanda Smith. This is another team that has the ability to have a strong season.
University of Miami – Though much of their talent is young, UMiami should also be able to push the competition this spring, and will likely start some combination of senior Ben Jassin, Matt Hecht, Taylor Scheuermann and Laura Hernandez.
SEISA
Texas A&M Galveston – Representing SEISA at Team Race Nationals last year, the TAMUG team should remain strong this season, returning some of its nationals sailors to best the conference. With just one berth to nationals, the competition in this district will be fierce, so TAMUG will have to fight to stay on top.
Tulane – Tulane has also done well, leading the conference in many fleet racing regattas and traditionally a school fighting for the top team racing spot in SEISA. The Green Wave has the ability to wash away its competition, especially under the guidance of Coach Kaity Storck.
University of Texas – Though we haven’t seen them on the national team race circuit in a few years, this team should not be counted out of the running. They will have to work hard to best conference competition, but could definitely make it happen this spring. We will probably not see much of the SEISA teams team racing in intersectional competition until nationals.
So far our Sail1Design readers poll has the following results answering t
he question, “Who will win the ICSA Team Race Nationals?”
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