George Washington University Athletics
George Washington University
Truxton Umstead Regatta
Sailing Places 11th Against Strong Field at Truxton Umstead Regatta
10/19/2015 12:00:00 AM | Sailing
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Oct. 19, 2015
Racing against the top teams in the Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association, George Washington received a balanced team effort to finish 11th last weekend at the Truxton Umstead regatta at Navy.
The four-division regatta encompassed 19 teams including 11 that are ranked in the coed division of Sailing World's college rankings. The Colonials, who are receiving votes in the coed poll, were led by the B Division boat skippered by Kai Friesecke and crewed by a combination of Mercedes McPhee, Belle Strachan and Henry Young. GW recorded nine top-7 finishes in 18 races, with five coming in the last six races to secure seventh place.
"We were pretty even across the board," Head Coach John Pearce said of his team's performance. "Everyone was doing their part and it was a total team effort. I think the standout was our B Division team combining for a nice seventh-place finish, but we were strong across all divisions and it was definitely a good team effort and a good indication for where we are as we go towards the War Memorial regatta in two weeks."
In A Division, skipper Brendan Shanahan combined with Young, Strachan and Miranda Bakos for an 11th-place finish. The two singlehanded regattas, C and D Divisions, saw Colin Kennedy and Riley Legault finish 11th and 14th, respectively.
GW also participated in the Central Fall Open, a regional regatta held at Washington College. The Colonials entered two teams and saw them finish fourth and fifth. In A Division, skipper Wade Wagner and crew Alexandra DelBello took races 1 through 8, while Sam White and Alexandra Fayer took 9 through 18 to lead the Colonials to a second-place finish. GW's second boat in A Division, helmed by Derek Poon-Tip, Shira Golub, Emma Mendenhall and Matt Homa placed third. GW's two boats in B Division finished in a tie for fourth.
"It was a good experience for a lot of our up-and-coming sailors," said Pearce. "Now we're going to turn our sights towards next weekend - we have a big weekend coming up with the MAISA Fall Women's Championship. We have a very strong women's team so we're gunning for that."
