George Washington University Athletics
George Washington University
Americas Trophy
Sailing Qualifies for Coed Nationals
4/30/2018 12:00:00 AM | Sailing
The GW sailing team made history over the weekend as it qualified for Coed Nationals by virtue of a seventh-place finish at the Americas Trophy, marking the first time in program history the Colonials have qualified for the three spring Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) National Championships.
GW had already punched its ticket earlier this month to compete in the Team Race and Women's ICSA National Championships, and now adds Coed to the mix. All three will be held at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, from May 22 through June 1.
"I'm very excited to qualify for another nationals," said head coach Billy Martin. "That's always first and foremost our top goal, and now we're definitely going to have our hands full the next few weeks to get prepared for all these events. It's going to be a really exciting time."
A total of eight sailors contributed to the result as the Colonials took seventh in B Division and eighth in A Division. Old Dominion took first place in the regatta followed by host St. Mary's and Hobart & William Smith.
"It got really breezy at the end of racing ,and we were able to filter a lot of sailors in to showcase our depth, which was good," said Martin. "I think the coed team underperformed a little bit, but you have to qualify to move on, so everything is in front of us now and within our control to show the country how good we are at these next three nationals."
Following the regatta, GW had four sailors honored with All-MAISA awards. Kai Friesecke was named a first team skipper, while Andrew Sheerin was a second-team selection. Matt Homa and Belle Strachan, meanwhile, were named All-MAISA crews. Strachan was also the recipient of the prestigious Purrington Award for student leadership and outstanding contributions to sailing.
The Colonials will now break for finals before returning to practice leading up to nationals. The Women's Championship is slated for May 22-25, followed by Team Race May 26-28, and finally Coed from May 29-June 1.
"We have a lot of work to do, but we're up to the challenge and excited to hit our peak at the right time in Norfolk in a few weeks," said Martin.
