September 23, 2007
#14 Washington Places 8th at Senator's Cup
WC Also 11th at North Fall #1, Competes at Laser Qualifier South

CHESTERTOWN, MD -- The 14th-ranked Washington College sailing team placed eighth of 18 schools at the Senator's Cup, hosted by St. Mary's (MD) this weekend. Washington was also 11th of 18 schools at the North Fall #1, hosted by New York Maritime, and had two sailors compete at the Laser Qualifier South, hosted by Navy.

At the Senator's Cup, sophomore skipper Patrick Clancy (Scituate, MA/Boston College HS) and freshman crew Caroline Hill (Tiverton, RI/Bishop Stang, MA) placed sixth in A Division, while senior skipper Meredith Dodd (Pittsburgh, PA/Upper St. Clair) and sophomore crew Genevieve Smith (Hampstead, MD/North Carroll) were seventh in B Division.

Top-ranked St. Mary's won the Senator's Cup, followed by fourth-ranked Georgetown in second and 17th-ranked Navy in third. Saturday's races were held in a light southerly breeze becoming west, while Sunday saw a solid northerly of 12-14 knots becoming west-northwest and dropping to five knots.

At the North Fall #1, sophomore skipper Conner Blouin (Tampa, FL/Jesuit) and freshman crew James Shepherd (Chicago, IL/Lincoln Park) were third in A Division, while senior skipper Chase Hillyer (Summit, NJ/Morristown-Beard) and freshman crew Danielle Bellezza (Parkesburg, PA/Sanford School, DE) finished 13th in B Division.

Hobart/William Smith won the North Fall #1, followed by Navy in second and St. Mary's in third. Conditions on Saturday ranged from four to eight knots out of the south and southwest. Sunday's wind came out of the west and northwest. Puffy and shifty conditions made the sailing difficult and racing was canceled at 3:30 p.m. when winds under five knots were not enough for the sailors to out-pace the current.

At the Laser Qualifier South, senior Alex Hood (Newport, RI/Portsmouth Abbey) finished 12th of 20 sailors, while senior Parker Mitchell (Malibu, CA/Malibu) was 16th. Georgetown's Evan Aras won the regatta. Saturday saw a light eastern breeze in the morning and an 8-10 knot breeze from the south-southeast in the afternoon. Sunday began with a good breeze out of the north which died later in the day.

Next weekend, the Washington College sailing team will be represented at three regattas - Faye Bennet Trophy (the MAISA Women's Singles Championships), hosted by Navy; the Danmark Trophy, hosted by Coast Guard; and the Tom Curtis Memorial, hosted by Georgetown.