After two exhilarating days of racing on the iconic Charles River, Stanford University successfully defended their title, clinching the 2024 Women’s Fleet Race National Championship. This triumph follows their previous win at Kings Point in 2023. A special thanks to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University for hosting this year’s thrilling event.
The first day of the championship saw steady winds from the southwest at 5-12 knots, with Stanford taking an early lead, followed by Dartmouth College in second and Yale University in third. However, the second day brought a mix of challenges with shifty conditions and a thunderstorm that caused delays. Once the storm cleared, the wind struggled to settle, but the sailors managed to squeeze in two more races in lighter winds. Dartmouth held onto their second place until the Race 17 when Boston College’s strong finishes—6th in A division and 3rd in B division—propelled them to secure second place overall. Dartmouth finished third with a total of 236 points.
Justin Assad, Head Sailing Coach for Dartmouth College, reflected on the regatta, "We are so proud of our women’s team. They worked hard all year, and this was a grueling regatta. Congratulations to Stanford on the win and BC on a hard-fought second place. Maddie Hawkins and Reese Bragg are tireless competitors, and we’re thrilled with their performance in challenging conditions on the river. Most importantly, our women wouldn’t be able to stand on the podium without the hard work from their teammates who push them every day at practice. We’re honored to be part of this whole team effort."
Last year at Kings Point, the Lady Cardinals secured a twenty-seven-point lead over Yale University with ten races run. This year, they maintained their dominance with a twenty-six-point lead over Boston College after seventeen races. Hannah Freeman, a senior on Stanford’s team, and Alice Schmid, a freshman, shared their excitement about the victory. “This has been a fantastic event, and the level of competition was so high. The regatta was run very well. It is so shifty here, so we had a lot of fun trying to figure it out. But we had to keep the vibes light to be ready for the shifts on the Charles. We worked really hard for this as a team, and I think we are all super excited for this win. It was a great learning experience for us throughout the whole event.”
Congratulations to Stanford University for their outstanding performance and to all the teams for their hard work and dedication. The 2024 Women’s Fleet Race National Championship was truly a spectacular event, showcasing the best of collegiate sailing.
Final Scores:
- Stanford University
- Boston College
- Dartmouth College
- Yale University
- Brown University
- Cornell University
- Harvard University
- Georgetown University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- University of Pennsylvania
- Tulane University
- College of Charleston
- U.S. Naval Academy
- Bowdoin College
- Northeastern University
- North Carolina State University
- George Washington University
- Roger Williams University
Tune in to the live-streamed events, College Sailing Instagram, and College Sailing Facebook page!
Samberg Center Viewing: From 12-4pm on May 21 and May 24, MIT and Harvard Sailing have created a very special viewing opportunity for our spectators at the Samberg Conference Center, 7th floor of the Sloan Business School overlooking the Charles River Basin. This event is being sponsored by MIT and Harvard Sailing at significant cost. The heavily subsidized ticket price of $25/person for 4 hours is the lowest we can offer. Get tickets here!