ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Navy intercollegiate sailing team competed in a pair of northern regattas over the weekend, highlighted by a fourth-place finish at the Lynn Marchiando Team Race in Cambridge, Mass. The Midshipmen also raced in their first conference championship of the spring, placing eighth overall at the MAISA Women's Fleet Race Championship in Kings Point, N.Y.
 
Competing against a strong 16-team field from the Mid-Atlantic and New England conferences, Navy navigated cold weather and highly variable winds ranging from under three to more than 25 knots at the MIT-hosted event. The challenging conditions led to tight racing throughout the event, as the Mids posted a solid 11-4 record in their initial round-robin, resulting in a four-way tie for third place.
 
In the subsequent tiebreaker round-robin between the four teams, the Mids went 2-1 to finish with a 13-5 overall record and secure fourth place. Senior skippers Nathan Smith and Jack Welburn and junior skipper Henry Allgeier competed for Navy alongside crews of seniors Ellie Alex and Darby Graham and junior Fiona Cullen.
 
At the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, the Navy women faced a 15-team field for the MAISA Women's Fleet Race Championship. Saturday's racing began with strong winds, heavy waves and a strong current before conditions eased later in the day, while ideal sailing weather and an efficiently-run event awaited the teams on Sunday.
 
The Mids battled through an up-and-down weekend to finish eighth overall, as the trio of seniors Ava Farley and Eleanor Niehoff and junior Darby Dryden placed ninth in the "A" division, while junior Josie Sherry, sophomore Sarah McNelly and freshman Jessica Green took fifth in the "B" division.
 
Navy continues the spring slate on April 4-5, traveling to Ithaca, N.Y., for the Prosser Trophy, MAISA's Team Race Championship.