KINGS POINT, N.Y. – The Navy intercollegiate sailing team concluded the 2022-2023 season with an 18th-place finish on Friday at the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association's Fleet Race Championship in Kings Point, N.Y., culminating a two-week stretch that saw the Merchant Marine Academy host three straight ICSA national championships.


The first two days of competition on Tuesday and Wednesday were the semifinal round, where 36 selected teams were seeded into two equal 18-team regattas, with the top nine teams from each semifinal advancing to the finals on the final two days of competition.
 
The semifinals saw consistent winds from the northeast and racing never paused over the course of the two days, as Navy got off to a strong start and quickly established itself as one of the top teams in the eastern semifinal. The Midshipmen displayed excellent speed and course management and easily advanced to the finals while getting all of their sailors on site into the action, with Navy finishing fifth overall in the regatta thanks to senior Gavin McJones, sophomore Cooper Walshe, juniors Julia Christie and Madeline Smith and freshman Ellie Alex taking fifth in the "A" division, while the group of freshmen Nathan Smith and Jack Welburn, seniors Colin MacGillivray and Jonah Hatt, Christie and sophomore Ryan Wahba also placed fifth in the "B" division.
 
Arriving for the finals on Thursday, the Long Island Sound looked like glass to the crews, as no wind forced the teams to wait on shore all day until it filled. A light southerly breeze eventually came very late in the day, allowing for six races per division with the sun setting during the last race. The Midshipmen had an uncharacteristically mistake-filled evening, as something went wrong for the team in every race Thursday to find itself last in the finals field. Navy came back ready to make up ground on the final day of competition, but a lengthy delay on shore waiting for wind diminished the chances for gains on Friday. The same light southerly wind eventually filled and three more races were completed before the cutoff time to put Navy in 18th overall, with McJones, Walshe, Madeline Smith and Alex finishing 18th in the "A" division while Nathan Smith, Madeline Smith and Wahba placing 16th in the "B" division. 
 
For their performances, McJones and Nathan Smith both picked up recognition as Honorable Mention All-American Skippers, while Christie and Wahba each earned Honorable Mention All-American Crew accolades. The four Mids join sophomore Evie Blauvelt (Honorable Mention Women's All-American Skipper) in being selected for All-America honors this spring.
 
"After a strong year, the team was disappointed to end on such a sour note, but the players should still be proud of the effort put in all year," said head coach Ian Burman. "After losing most of the starting lineup to graduation a year ago, many players had to step up and take on new roles and excel. Our Class of 2023 provided leadership and helped the younger Mids know what it means to sail at Navy, as we are truly grateful for their contributions to our program and we know they will all make fantastic naval aviators. Despite the loss of those great sailors and people, the future of the team is very bright with a ton of returning talent to pair with a large and talented incoming class. I know the team will be hungry to get back at it in the fall."