November 16, 2008
#19 WC Sails at Pair of Atlantic Coast Regattas
Washington 13th at Atlantic Coast Dinghy, 17th at Atlantic Coast Women's

CHESTERTOWN, MD -- The 19th-ranked Washington College sailing team competed at a pair of Atlantic Coast Championship regattas this weekend, matching the best teams from MAISA, NEISA, and SAISA. Washington finished 13th of 18 teams at at the Atlantic Coast Co-Ed Dinghy Championships, hosted by Hobart/William Smith, and 17th of 18 teams at the Atlantic Coast Women's Championships, hosted by Georgetown.

At the Atlantic Coast Dinghy Championships, junior skipper Conner Blouin (Tampa, FL/Jesuit) and senior crew Seth Olson (Branford, CT/Branford) were 12th in A Division, while senior skipper Derek Packard (Excelsior, MN/Breck) and sophomore crew James Shepherd (Chicago, IL/Lincoln Park) finished 15th in B Division.

The Atlantic Coast Dinghy Championships were limited to five races in each division on Sunday in snow and rain and 14-32 knot winds from the west. A lack of wind prevented any racing on Saturday. Second-ranked St. Mary's won the regatta, while fourth-ranked Roger Williams was second and fifth-ranked Harvard was third.

At the Atlantic Coast Women's Championships, freshman skipper Mildred Conroy (Newton, MA/Tabor Academy) and freshman crew Lauren Marks (Baltimore, MD/Friends School) finished 15th in A Division, while junior Genevieve Smith (Hampstead, MD/North Carroll) and sophomore Caroline Hill (Tiverton, RI/Bishop Stang, MA) were 17th in B Division. Hill and Smith split time as skipper and crew in B Division as both made their skipper debuts.

Seventh-ranked Georgetown won the Atlantic Coast Women's, while sixth-ranked Charleston was second and second-ranked Yale was third. Saturday's races were held in south winds around 12 miles per hour with gusts over 20. Sunday's wind started out in the low teens and quickly built to low the low 20's with gusts over 30, but died as the day progressed.