College Sailing Nationals - Day 3, Women's Finals

by Jennifer Mitchell on 24 May 2013 The Sperry Top-Sider/ICSA Women’s National Championship continued today in St. Petersburg, FL, on Tampa Bay co-sponsored by the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, Eckerd College and St. Petersburg Yacht Club. Eighteen collegiate teams from across the nation are vying for the national title, the Gerald C. Miller Trophy, awarded to the winning team.

Racing got underway around 12 p.m. under sunny skies and temperatures in the 80s – a beautiful day for sailing. A-division and B-division started the racing with their seventh race in the series competing on an inner and outer trapezoid course.

The winds were pretty steady today around seven knots from a southwesterly direction, with a little stronger breeze later in the afternoon.

Greg Wilkinson, head coach for Boston College says the conditions were pretty similar to what the women raced in yesterday. Sailing for Boston College in A-division is Stephanie Hudson ’13 with Katherine Wysocki ’15 and Kelly Roy ’13 and Erika Reineke ’16 and Elizabeth Barnard ’15 in B-division. Reineke and Barnard are currently leading B-division, just two points ahead of Yale University sailors in second place.

'We are where we want to be, but we still have a lot of work to do,' Wilkinson says. Boston College is the defending Sperry Top-Sider/ICSA Women’s National Champs.

Eight races were completed today in both A-division and B-division, but there are only four races left for each division in the regatta, eight races total.

The Dartmouth team managed to stay on top of the competition today by sailing consistently thanks to Deirdre Lambert ’15 and Carissa Crawford ‘14 in A-division and Kelsey Wheeler ’14 and Lizzie Guynn ‘16 in B-division.

Dartmouth is currently in first place with 149 points, 39 points ahead of Boston College and St. Mary’s College of Maryland who both have 188 points. These teams also held the top three spots after racing yesterday.

Racing is set to begin around 12 p.m. tomorrow. The later start time allows for the breeze to fill properly. Tomorrow is the last day of racing in the regatta. No race can begin after 5 p.m. The day will culminate in an awards banquet scheduled for 7 p.m. at the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg.

The top three women’s teams will be presented with the Gerald C. Miller Trophy (first place), the New England Women’s Trophy (second place) and the Ann Campbell Trophy (third place). The Quantum Women’s College Sailor of the Year will also be awarded to a female sailor who has consistently performed at the highest competitive level in the 2012-2013 seasons. The ICSA Women’s All-American Team will also be announced.

Top Nine Teams

1. Dartmouth College, 149
2. Boston College, 188
3. St. Mary’s College of Maryland, 188
4. College of Charleston, 214
5. Stanford University, 216
6. Yale University, 222
7. Connecticut College, 223
8. Cornell University, 224
9. Brown University, 243

For full results and regatta information visit the event website