Georgetown sweeps Match Races, Stanford and Eagles surge as ACC Qualifiers shake up the fall picture

College Sailing Week © Rory Maher

College sailing delivered a massive week of ACC qualifiers, conference championships, and coast-to-coast fleet racing that reshaped the national conversation heading into mid-October.

College sailing produced its most consequential weekend of the fall as Atlantic Coast Championship qualifiers, a MAISA conference title, and more than a dozen other regattas delivered results that will echo through the rest of the season.

Georgetown took the MAISA Match Race crown, Stanford dominated the Open ACC Round 1A, Georgetown won the 1B qualifier, and Boston College seized the Hewitt Trophy in Maine.

Georgetown and Stanford Lead the ACC Qualifiers

The Open Atlantic Coast Championship Round 1A, hosted at St. Mary's on October 10-11, produced a commanding Stanford victory. The Cardinal finished on 108 points, 50 clear of second-place St. Mary's (158), with Roger Williams third on 172. Saturday's racing unfolded in a northerly breeze that moved right and settled northeast at 6-9 knots, and PRO Bradley Adam completed ten races in each division. Sunday brought rain and puffy easterly breezes, and the final four races wrapped up by noon.

Both Stanford boats won their divisions: Reade Decker ('27) and Callie Hammond in A with 44 points, and Freddie Parkin and Estella Morris in B with 64. Roger Williams' Bo Angus ('29) and Jed Lory ('27) finished second in A Division to anchor their third-place result. St. Mary's was third in A Division and second in B, where Mason Cook ('29) sailed with Jane Wright ('28), and Molly Dowling crewed the final four races. The top nine teams advance to the Open ACC; behind the podium came Penn (175), Dartmouth (196), Tufts (201), Harvard (203), College of Charleston (208) and Coast Guard (215), which took the final berth.

Over at Navy, the Open ACC Round 1B was a Georgetown showcase. The Hoyas posted 105 points to win by 12 over Boston College (117). Peter Herlihy ('29) and Scarlett Harris ('28) won B Division outright with just 32 points, while Peter Barnard ('27) and Teddy Stoldt ('28) were fourth in A Division on 73. Saturday's fickle northeast wind delayed meaningful racing until 3:30 p.m., when six races were completed in 5-9 knots. Sunday's forecast of 28-40 knots never materialized; instead, moderate northeast air allowed four more races before the breeze died for good.

MIT's Robert Ulmer ('27) and Ellie Pinto ('27) won A Division at the 1B with 61 points, leading the Engineers to third overall on 120. Yale and Navy tied on 130 but were separated by tiebreaker, with Yale taking fourth and Navy fifth. Tulane's Hamilton Barclay ('27) and Taylor Bartell ('28) finished third in A Division on 69, helping the Green Wave to seventh (139).

Georgetown won both the MAISA Match Race Championship and the Open ACC 1B qualifier in the same weekend.

Georgetown Caps MAISA Match Race Title

The Intrepid Trophy, postponed from September by high winds, was sailed at Kings Point (U.S. Merchant Marine Academy) on October 12 in J/70s, and Georgetown won it, ahead of Navy, Kings Point, St. Mary's and Fordham in a five-team field. Race committee notes described a moderate northerly that oscillated and powered up and down through the day before shifting left and building during the final races.

Boston College wins the Hewitt Trophy

At Bowdoin on October 10-11, Boston College won the Hewitt Trophy with 112 points, 23 clear of Dartmouth (135) in an 18-team fleet. James O'Gwen ('27) and Sydney Lombard ('29) won A Division on 55, while Brady Kennedy ('29) and Madeline Torrey ('28) took third in B on 57. BC's second entry finished third overall on 153, with Tor Svendsen and Lauren Leonard fourth in B Division on 62. Dartmouth's Cooper Keeves ('30) and Anna Connolly ('30) scored 56 in B Division, tied for the best total there. Racing on Harpswell Sound produced eight races per division on Saturday and six more on Sunday, 14 in all. Last fall, Bowdoin won this event; the host Polar Bears finished eighth this time around.

Boston College also placed second at the ACC 1B and third at the Sister Esther Whalen Trophy at Salve Regina, reaching the podium at all three of its regattas.

Results from ICSA Techscore at time of writing

Brown Rolls at Stu Nelson; College Sailing highlights from the Midwest

Brown's women won the Stu Nelson Trophy at Connecticut College on October 10-11 with 60 points, ahead of Stanford (65), MIT (72) and Roger Williams (75) in a 16-team, three-division fleet. Laura Hamilton ('27) and Katherine Majette ('27) won A Division with 13 points, and Sidney Moyer ('27) and Michelle Kaneti ('29) scored 20 in B. Saturday opened with an 8-knot northeasterly that died as the ebb tide built. On Sunday a 6-8 knot northerly faded and switched to the east-southeast, allowing four races per division before the wind died and rain moved in. One B Division race was dropped so that all three divisions had sailed the same number of races.

In Madison, Wisconsin won the Wisco Women's regatta with 25 points in a seven-team field, completing the full round robin Saturday in 10-15 knots out of the south. Claudia Kroll ('29) and Paige Kurtenbach ('27) won A Division on 14, and Brielle Douglas ('30) and Katherine Ahlquist ('28) won B on 11. Michigan's two entries took second (34) and tied for third (46) with Northwestern. Wisconsin also won this event last fall.

More from week 6 across the country

Several regattas from October 3-4 also had their final scores posted this past week. The Charleston Fall Interconference saw College of Charleston and Eckerd tie on 76 points, with the Cougars winning on tiebreaker. Eckerd's Pj Rodrigues ('28) and Peyton Seidle ('29) won B Division on 31. North Carolina State (89) and South Florida (98) were close behind. Charleston also won this event last fall.

Rochester Institute of Technology won the Sodus Bay Open at Rochester on October 3-4, posting 23 points in a 12-team field. Nehuel Armenanzas ('30) won A Division on 12, and Joby Overton ('31) was second in B. Queen's University took second (31), led by Sam Barbara ('27) winning B Division on 8. Last fall, Queen's won this event.

Fairfield won the SHU Trophy on October 4, scoring 31 points to beat Massachusetts Maritime (52) in an eight-team fleet. Bryce Vitiello ('27) and Sawyer Obrien ('27) won A Division on 8.

College Sailing Coast to Coast: More week 6 results

At Salve Regina, Roger Williams' second entry won the Sister Esther Whalen Trophy with 58 points. Tristan McDonald ('28) and Dominik Moncur ('29) won A Division on 34, and Connor McHugh ('28) and Maggie Fleming ('27) won B on 24 in a 17-team fleet.

NC State won the Webb/Woollum Regatta at Christopher Newport with 37 points, led by Callen Burnett ('29) in A Division (13 points). Old Dominion's Levente Levay ('30) and Emily Priest ('29) won B Division on 10 in a nine-team field. Conditions were breezy: 15-16 knots with gusts to 20 from the east.

Jacksonville won the Dick Allsop Trophy at home with 21 points in a 16-team fleet. SUNY Maritime won the Princeton Fall Open (12 points, seven teams). Middlebury won the Protest Trophy at Bates (44 points, six teams). Vermont won the Great Herring Pond Open at Mass Maritime (45 points, six teams). Texas A&M won the Battle of the Bay at Corpus Christi (71 points, five teams). Grand Valley State leads the Monroe Mania at Indiana (22 points, four teams) with results still provisional. Navy leads the provisionally scored Oyster Bowl Coed at Georgetown (153 points, seven teams).

In Washington state, the Huskies swept the Cascadia Cup at home, winning both the varsity (36 points) and JV (38 points) events.

The picture and what is next

The ACC qualifier results define the mid-season picture. Stanford and Georgetown each won a qualifier and head to the Open ACC among the favorites. Brown's open team, the defending Open Fleet Race national champion, finished sixth at the 1B and also advances, while Brown's women won the Stu Nelson. Boston College reached the podium at all three of its regattas.

This coming weekend brings the marquee Women's Atlantic Coast Championship Finals at St. Mary's and the McMillan Cup at Navy, plus the Stoney Burke at Berkeley and the Carin Streufert Memorial at Minnesota. The college sailing season is about to enter championship gear.

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