Annapolis harbor welcomed teams from across the eastern seaboard for the annual Small Keelboat Invitational hosted by the US Naval Academy. Sailed in Navy's fleet of Colgate 26s, this event is a highlight of the fall for many programs with limited keelboat opportunities.
After a challenging first race, the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets began their scorecard ascent. This was Georgia Tech's first year participating in the event and the gusty, windy conditions were initially challenging for the Lake Lanier-based program. Dueling race by race throughout the weekend with fellow SAISA squad Clemson, and Queens College, a Canadian competitor, the Yellowjackets showed great form dialing in 4 bullets on the day, four additional podium finishes, and no score worse than their first race, an eighth. A late challenge by the Tribe of William & Mary kept Georgia Tech on their toes, but the Rambling Wreck finished the regatta with a 1-1-2 over the last quarter, securing first place overall and the regatta win. With their outstanding performance, Georgia Tech's Megan Ploch, Miller Goldenberg, Nicholas Brittain, and Robert Beauchamp earn this week's SAISA Sailors of the Week honors.
Also of note, Georgia Tech's Ploch was one of three female skippers at the event out of the twelve programs while the remaining two women at the helm also hail from SAISA programs (NC State and UGA), a great representation of our conference and the growing strength of women's sailing in SAISA.
About the SAISA Sailors of the Week
Each week of the season, we’ll recognize outstanding performances by sailors across SAISA, as well as by SAISA sailors in competition out of conference. The selection process includes a nomination period each week ending on Sunday. A committee of SAISA coaches from both divisions selects sailors from the nominations received and will announce the SAISA Sailors of the Week early each week following the close of the nomination period. If you’d like to submit a nomination, email the sailor’s name, school, position, and what events or circumstances they demonstrated outstanding performance to SAISAsotw@gmail.com. Nominations close on Sunday at midnight EST and selections will be based on performances for the preceding week and that weekend. Selection categories may include co-ed skipper, co-ed crew, women’s skipper, women’s crew. Pairings or individual sailors may be nominated or selected.
For more information, visit the SAISA website at www.saisasailing.com/sotw