KINGS POINT, NY (24 May 2023) - After two days of semifinal racing out of the United States Merchant Marine Academy, Yale University and Stanford University came out on top of the Eastern and Western semifinals regattas. Stanford was trailed closely by Bowdoin in the Western semifinal, while Yale overtook Coast Guard in the Eastern semifinal to advance to Thursday’s Finals.
"We really focused on getting to know the race area," said Carmen Cowles, a skipper on the Yale University team that won the Eastern Semifinal. "We were able to sail consistently, trust our boat speed, and use this time to learn more about the boats and environment."
Day one started with north winds at 10-12 knots, then shifted to the sea breeze later in the day; unfortunately, this shift in the breeze caused an abandonment for race four of the Eastern Division with a slight postponement ashore. During the races, the current presented a prominent challenge and caused some issues with starts and, as a result, some general recalls. The race committee was able to get six races for both A and B divisions in the Eastern and Western Semifinals.
Day two had a much later start to the day as there was little to no breeze in the morning. Teams joined in some camaraderie by playing lawn games outside the sailing center with Lexi Pline taking fun candid photos and interviews (make sure to check them out on Instagram @collegesailing). The sea breeze finally started to fill around 3pm ET. The current was in full force, demonstrated by many general and individual recalls. Those general recalls and the late start resulted in only two races for both A and B divisions for the Eastern and Western Semifinals. Yale University won the Eastern Semifinal and Stanford University won the Western Semifinal.
University of South Florida athletes discussed how stressful it was going into the last race, knowing they had to perform well to qualify for the Women's National Championship. They noted that they saw the left favored at the beginning of the races on day two, but then the right became more favored.
Even though Bowdoin College held the lead after the first day, Stanford University took the victory on day two. "This year, our team committed to practicing how we race and racing how we practice,” said Lizzy Kaplan of Bowdoin College. “Heading into the semi-finals, we channeled this mentality by keeping it simple and focusing on our biggest strength: our speed. We're looking forward to more racing to come!"
Results at the end of day one –
- Western Division: Bowdoin College (40 pts), Stanford University (47 pts), Boston College (53 pts), Dartmouth College (72 pts), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (74 pts), University of Pennsylvania (76 pts), US Naval Academy (104 pts), Northeastern University (104 pts), St. Mary’s College of Maryland (118 pts), University of South Florida (119 pts), University of Vermont (138 pts), University of Rhode Island (146 pts), George Washington University (150 pts), Eckerd College (152 pts), University of Wisconsin (153 pts), Jacksonville University (153 pts), Roger Williams University (165 pts), University of California at Sana Barbara (175 pts).
- Eastern Division: Yale University (49 pts), US Coast Guard Academy (60 pts), Cornell University (61 pts), College of Charleston (70 pts), Georgetown University (79 pts), Tulane University (83 pts), Brown University (84 pts), Harvard University (93 pts), Tufts University (94 pts), North Carolina State University (120 pts), Fordham University (126 pts), Old Dominion University (137 pts), Hobart and William Smith Colleges (146 pts), University of Hawaii (151 pts), Boston University (158 pts), Connecticut College (166 pts), Salve Regina University )175 pts), Texas A&M University (198 pts).
Check out the Final Results Women’s National Semi-Finals Championship: Western Division and Eastern Division
Teams Advancing to the Women’s National Championship (Placed in Order of Final Results):
- Western Division: Stanford University, Bowdoin College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Pennsylvania, Boston College, Dartmouth College, US Naval Academy, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, University of South Florida.
- Eastern Division: Yale University, US Coast Guard Academy, College of Charleston, Cornell University, Tulane University, Georgetown University, Harvard University, Brown University, Tufts University.
Don’t forget, Chris Love Productions partnered with FlyPack, NY, to have all championships live-streamed for those who cannot attend. Live Stream started May 25th with a Pre-Race Show beginning at 1:30 PM EST each day – click here - Don’t miss out on live onboard dinghy cameras and audio, drones, on-course cameras and audio, live tracking, and more!
Tomorrow starts Women’s National Championships at 10:00am. Stay tuned to the live-streamed events, College Sailing Instagram, and College Sailing Facebook page!
National Championship Events:
Women’s National Finals Championship – May 25-26
- Open Team Race National Championship – May 27-29
- Open National Semifinals Championship – May 30-31
- Open National Finals Championship – June 1-2
Lexi Pline and Ashley Dart will be providing photos for the event and social media updates.