NEWPORT, R.I. – The Navy intercollegiate sailing team wrapped up its 2018-19 season with a third-place finish at the Gill College Sailing Coed National Championship this week.
 
The final national championship of the week featured 36 teams from around the country. The event started with two 18-team semifinal regattas where the top nine teams from each regatta advanced to the finals.
 
During the semifinals, the conditions began with a puffy and shifty easterly breeze on the first day. The Midshipmen had an up and down day of racing on day one but were in a comfortable qualifying position. The second day featured light northerly conditions and Navy used its depth and talented bench to advance into the finals without overly fatiguing its roster. In its semifinal regatta, the Midshipmen finished fifth with skippers Parker Loftus and Connor Bayless and crews of Emma Remis, Brittney Slook and Olivia de Olazarra finishing eighth in the A division. In the B division, skippers JC Hermus, Max Brill and Tyler Fleig competed with crews of Ana Mier and Sean Linden to place fourth overall in the division.
 
In the finals, racing was close and there was little margin for error. Both days started out with delays for lack of wind but sea breezes in the afternoon server up great racing. Navy's team in the B division raced strong throughout and its team in the A division posted solid scores to keep the Midshipmen in the hunt throughout the regatta. Many teams in the finals sailed well and the overall positions were fluctuating with each set of races.
 
Navy won the last two races on the first day to finish second overall in the field, behind only Brown -- who served as the host for all three national championships over the past week and a half. The Midshipmen kept up the pressure on day two and passed Brown in the standings after a few sets on the second day. After passing Brown, Navy was in a tight battle with Charleston and Yale where the three teams pulled away from the rest of the field as the regatta went on and all three teams had a chance to win heading into the final race. The Midshipmen won the final race but both Charleston and Yale were right behind Navy and the Midshipmen finished third overall just five points behind Yale and 10 back of Charleston. 
 
The third-place finish by Navy was the best finish since 1995 and the Midshipmen earned the Metropolitan Sailing League Trophy for placing third. Loftus, Remis and de Olazarra finished seventh in the A division while Hermus, Mier and Linden rolled in the B division and won by 33 points to earn the Robert H. Allan, Jr. Trophy for the lowest point total in the B division. 
 
"While it is disappointing to be so close and come up just short, this team showed tremendous talent and grit through these championships," head coach Ian Burman said. "With many strong players coming back, the future looks very bright for this team."
 
Following the racing, the ICSA announced its All-Americans. Mier was chosen as an All-American Crew. This is Mier's third All-American selection after earning the recognition in 2017 and was a 2018 honorable mention. 
 
"Ana is very deserving for one of the most amazing crews in program history as she will now enter the Navy Hall of Fame," Burman commented.
 
Loftus and Hermus were also selected as All-American Coed Skippers. Hermus was the lone freshman on the skipper All-American team as the Navy duo earned the honor for the first time in their careers.
 
"With only 13 honorees this year, Parker and JC have proved to be among the very best in the country. Parker emerged in the fall as one of the most consistent players on the team and earned the role of A division skipper," Burman stated. "Through hard work and determination, Parker became excellent at the job and his All-American honor is well deserved. JC was the most impressive first-year sailor in the country and the only first-year player to earn All-American honors. It was very impressive to see how hard he worked this year and how much he improved in the collegiate game."
 
"This spring was a special one for the Navy sailing team," Burman concluded. "We accomplished a number of things that the program has not done for a long time and repeatedly showed that we were among the best in the nation. While a few of our team members were honored at the end of the season, none of our success would have been possible without the talent and hard work of the entire roster. What made us successful this season and what will allow us to continue that success over the next few years is the depth of our roster and the team first attitude of our players."