ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Navy's intercollegiate sailing team started its Spring Break with two regattas this past weekend. The Midshipmen finished second at the St. Mary's Team Race and then placed fifth at the Navy Spring Women's Regatta.
The major team race of the weekend was the St. Mary's Team Race where 10 strong teams from across the country were in the field. The first day was cold and windy with big puffs and wind shifts challenging the sailors. In the windy conditions, Navy was fast out of the gate and won the first six races. The wind subsided as the day went on and the Midshipmen finished the first day at 9-2 and were in a three-way tie for first place.
On Sunday, the event started in a delay as the fleet waited for wind to fill and eventually the second round robin was abandoned and replaced by a round for the top six teams, then another round for the top four. Navy swept the round of six to pull into sole possession of first place but a single loss in the final round pulled the team back into a with Stanford with each team boasting 14-3 records. Since Stanford had went 2-1 against Navy in head-to-head competition, the Cardinal won the tiebreaker and the Midshipmen settled for a hard-fought second place. Navy's squad consisted of
Parker Loftus,
Connor Bayless,
JC Hermus,
Emma Remis,
Sean Linden,
Sally Johnson,
Kimmie Leonard,
Jonah Hatt and
Colin MacGillivray.
The Midshipmen hosted the major women's regatta of the weekend. The field featured 14 teams in a tough lineup with tight racing throughout the weekend. Saturday was windy and cold and only one fleet of boats was sailed for most of the day for everyone's safety. With gusts near 30 knots and major shifts in the wind, it was a tricky day of sailing for each team in the event. Navy had a rough start to the regatta and was in a bit of a hole halfway through day one. The Midshipmen started to find their form late in the first day and clawed back into the middle of the fleet standings.
Following a wind delay, a nice 8-12 knot southerly wind filled in on Sunday and the remaining races were completed just before the cutoff time of 3 p.m. Navy had a strong day throughout and climbed back up in the standings to finish fifth overall and just four points out of the top three.
Olivia de Olazarra and
Anna Cutler placed seventh in A division while the trio of
Brittney Slook,
Fiona Lobon and
Elizabeth Linsdell captured the B division for the second time this season.
Next up, Navy hosts the Graham Hall Team Race on Saturday and Sunday while hitting the road to compete in the St. Mary's Women's Regatta and the Washington College Team Race this coming weekend.
