ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy intercollegiate sailing team kicked off its 2023 competition schedule with three team race regattas away from home on Saturday and Sunday.
 
"The team has been training hard and improving rapidly throughout February and the sailors were eager to finally face other schools in scored races," said head coach Ian Burman.
 
The first weekend of the Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association team racing saw MAISA split into two regattas that were held simultaneously in Washington, D.C., as Navy was seeded into the six-team pool at the George Washington Team Race. High winds prevented any races from being completed on Saturday and only one round-robin series occurred on Sunday, limiting the Midshipmen to five races, but Navy did sweep the competition by winning all five races in dominant fashion to start the league season off strong. Navy's skippers for this event were senior Gavin McJones, sophomore Cooper Walshe and freshman Nathan Smith, while crews consisted of seniors Jonah Hatt and Colin MacGillivray, junior Maddy Smith, sophomore Ryan Wahba and freshman Ellie Alex, with freshman Jack Welburn on site as a reserve. 
 
Conditions were somewhat similar at Washington College for the Tom Noble Team Race in Chestertown, Md., as slightly more manageable conditions allowed for more races to be completed. After a double round-robin and a final-4 round, Navy came out on top of the seven-team field with a 14-1 overall record. Sailing for Navy were senior skipper Caden Scheiblauer, sophomore skippers Tanner Kelly and Robert Ziman, junior crew Hunter Anderson and freshman crew Alex Brenia, Darby Graham and Ella Niehoff.
 
At the Old Dominion Women's Team Race, Navy struggled a bit in the windy conditions, as the Midshipmen finished fifth in the six-team regatta with a 2-7 record. The Navy contingent in Norfolk, Va., featured skippers in junior Aubin Hattendorf, sophomore Evie Blauvelt and freshman Ava Farley, while the crew spots included juniors Catey Aitken and Julia Christie and sophomores Linnea Forsberg and Maggie Schuler.
 
Navy returns to action next weekend, March 11-12, when it hosts the Graham Hall Team Race in Annapolis and sends select Mids to the Bob Bavier Team Race in Charleston, S.C.