NEWPORT, R.I. – The Navy intercollegiate sailing team began its three national championships this week with a 10th-place finish in its semifinal at the ICSA/Sperry Women's Championship over Tuesday and Wednesday.
 
The first of three national championships in Rhode Island featured 36 teams from around the country and the event was split into two rounds. The first round was the semifinals where the 36 teams were seeded into two 18-team regattas where the top nine from each semifinal regatta advanced to the finals.
 
To start the championship, the winds were strong at 15-25 knots and waves around two to three feet. Navy was placed in the Eastern Semifinals and sailed on FJs during the entire first day of competition. The Midshipmen handled the boats well but some costly errors throughout the day cost valuable points and Navy finished the day with 30 points and were three spots outside of the top nine to advance. 
 
On the second of the regatta, Navy sailed in 420s with a wide variety of conditions. The day began with winds from the north at 15-20 knots, which faded to nearly nothing as the current increased throughout the morning and early afternoon. The wind then filled in from the south and got puffy and shifty by the end of the second day. The Midshipmen finished strong and pulled within six points of the top nine going into the final set of races. However, Navy finished the semifinal in 10th place and finished just one spot outside of the final transfer spot to the finals. 
 
"We should be proud of the season," head coach Ian Burman said. "Our team showed a lot of girt on the second day of the championship."
 
Olivia de Olazarra, Brittney Slook and Emma Remis finished 10th overall in the A division while Jessica McJones, Anna Cutler, Madeline Pruzan, Fiona Lobon and Slook placed 11th in the B division.
 
Navy returns to competition on Saturday for the ICSA/Laser Performance Team Racing Nationals.