ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy offshore sailing team was dominant this past weekend by picking up three victories over four events, as the Midshipmen hosted the McMillan Cup and Colgate Invitational in Annapolis while also having athletes compete in the J/105 Chesapeake Bay Championship in Annapolis and combining with the Navy intercollege sailing team to send a five-man squad to an international regatta at the Chilean Naval Academy.
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Competing for the oldest trophy in college sailing, the McMillan Cup featured nine schools representing the eastern seaboard, racing both Saturday and Sunday in challengingly light conditions. The Mids remained consistent throughout the two-day event to come out in first place, two points ahead of runner-up Charleston. Representing Navy were junior skipper
Chad Schaffner along with seniors
Nicholas Gibbons,
Nathan Broomfield and
Christopher Cordner and juniors
Samuel Mentel,
Chloe Cowan,
Connor McKee and
Matthew Irving. Sunday's result marks Navy's first win at the McMillan Cup since 2021.
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In the Colgate Small Keelboat Invitational, 11 teams competed on the Severn River in Colgates as light wind prevailed throughout the event. The Mids started out strong to go ahead in the standings at the end of Saturday, while Sunday only allowed for one more race to be completed, where Navy sealed its victory. Skippering the winning boat was freshman
Lawton Harper, joined by sophomore
Brent Anderson and freshmen
Olivia Green and
Brendan Hawko.
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Due to the light winds, the J/105 Chesapeake Bay Championships only completed two races, with Navy's senior skipper
Augustus Reed leading his crew to 18th in the fleet.
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Internationally, the Navy sailing teams also competed at the Chilean Naval Academy, where a combined crew of three offshore sailors and two intercollegiate sailors raced in a three-day event. Winds were brisk for the multi-race series, but the Mids were unstoppable, besting the 22-boat fleet with first-place results in all races. Representing Navy were seniors
Elliot Brandicourt and
Ulysses Buzan, junior
Colin Caraher and sophomores George Carty and Spencer Dominguez.
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The Navy offshore sailing team returns to action with the Kennedy Cup, the big-boat championship of college sailing, on Nov. 2-3 in Annapolis.
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