NORFOLK, Va. – Navy's intercollegiate sailing team capped off its regular-season schedule with a first-place finish at the MAISA South Team Race as the Midshipmen swept the three MAISA South titles this spring.
Â
Old Dominion hosted this year's event and the six-team field was battling for three spots at ICSA Team Race Nationals in June. The field was slated to complete two round robins in one day where light and shifty winds were featured.
Â
Following a brief delay to let the wind fill, the first round began in the late afternoon. Navy came into the event as the favorite after winning all of its events this season heading into the weekend. The Midshipmen started strong winning the early races easily in 1-2 combinations. The first round had up and down winds and a few delays for course resets, but Navy came out of the round with an undefeated record and in good shape heading into the second round robin.
Â
A weather system came in and brought more wind and rain for round two. Navy showed its strength in all conditions continuing to win races handily. The one-day regatta presented a long day on the water with teams leaving the dock at 10 a.m. and last races concluding at 7 p.m.
Â
After the two round robins, Navy finished with a perfect 10-0 record to win the 2021 MAISA South Team Racing Championship and clinching its spot in the national championship on June 2-3 in Annapolis.
Â
Navy's team consisted of
Connor Bayless,
Gray Benson,
JC Hermus,
Madeline Pruzan,
Sean Linden,
Kimmie Leonard,
Fiona Lobon,
Jonah Hatt,
Colin MacGillivray and
Caden Scheiblauer.
Â
The Midshipmen now shift into the spring national championships season, which starts this weekend with the ICSA Singlehanded National Championships in Kingston, R.I.
Â