June 3, 2009
#16 Washington Finishes 18th at ICSA Nationals
Appearance is WC's First Ever in Championship Regatta

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- Competing in a national championship final for the first time in team history, the Washington College sailing team finished 18th of 18 schools at the 2009 Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) Co-Ed Dinghy National Championships held Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday in San Francisco, CA, and hosted by Stanford University and the St. Francis Yacht Club.

Junior skipper Conner Blouin (Tampa, FL/Jesuit) and senior crew Seth Olson (Branford, CT/Branford) finished 18th in A Division, while senior skipper Derek Packard (Excelsior, MN/Breck) and junior crew John MacLellan (Catonsville, MD/Catonsville) were 17th in B Division.

Eight races sailed in each division on Monday. Blouin and Olson's highest finish on Monday was a fourth-place finish in the fourth A Division race, while Packard and MacLellan's highest finish on Monday was an eighth-place finish in the eighth B Division race. Monday's winds were out of the west between 14 and 20 knots early in the day, with a flood tide kicking in as the day went on. The wind subsided to 11-15 knots later in the day.

Six races sailed in each division on Tuesday. Blouin and Olson's highest Tuesday finish was a fourth-place performance in the 12th A Division race of the regatta, while Packard and MacLellan's highest Tuesday finish was a sixth-place effort in the 12th B Division race. Blouin and Olson were also sixth in the final A Division race of the day. Tuesday's races were held under sunny skies with a breeze of 20 knots.

The final four races in each division were sailed on Wednesday. Blouin and Olson saved their best for last, finishing third in the 18th A Division race to post their best finish of the regatta. Packard and MacLellan's best Wednesday finish came in the 13th B Division race as they placed eighth. Wednesday's conditions again featured sunny skies and winds reaching over 20 knots.

Fourth-ranked St. Mary's won the 2009 ICSA Co-Ed Dinghy National Championship by 20 points over third-ranked Yale. St. Mary's was in first place for nearly the entire regatta before Yale took a 169-172 lead after skipper Thomas Barrows led Yale to second- and first-place finishes in the final two A Division races, respectively. St. Mary's came back to win the regatta as Michael Menninger led the Seahawks to sixth- and first-place finishes, respectively, in the final two B Division races. Barrows skippered a dominating A Division performance for Yale as the Elis won the division by 34 points. Menninger skippered St. Mary's to the top spot in B Division as the Seahawks won the division by nine points.

Georgetown, which came into the regatta as the top-ranked sailing team in the country, was third in the final standings.

Complete Results