June 11, 2012

AUSTIN, Texas -- The top 18 teams in the country descended upon Austin, Texas, and Lake Travis this past weekend for the ICSA / Gill Coed Dinghy National Championship.

Unfortunately, the wind remained light throughout the event, testing the patience of all the competitors. Despite long periods of waiting, organizers were able to get 13 races off per division over the course of the three-day regatta. The young team from Navy was ready and eager to compete, but the light, shifty conditions and the high-talent level in the fleet proved to be a challenge for the team as they got off to a rough start on the first day.

The Midshipmen never gave up, however and showed steady improvement throughout the regatta. With the light winds, the team didn't have enough races to climb higher than 16th overall.

"The lessons learned from this championship should prove invaluable in future seasons," said Navy head coach Ian Burman.

Alex Ramos, Markus Edegran and Saverio Maldari finished 15th in A division while Jason Carminati, Michael Grove, Caroline Lockett and Julie Digiovanni were 16th in B.

At the awards banquet, ENS Saverio Maldari was named an ICSA All-American crew for the second year in a row.

"Saverio displayed tremendous leadership throughout the year as he guided our young skippers through the season and taught them how to sail at the collegiate level. He also remained a model for the team with his unparalleled fitness," added Burman.

The event concludes Navy's season.

# GO NAVY #