George Washington University Athletics
Sailing Qualifies for Finals at Women's Nationals
5/24/2018 12:00:00 AM | Sailing
NORFOLK, Va. -- For the fourth straight season, the GW women's sailing team is headed to the finals of the ICSA Women's National Championship after an eighth-place finish in their semifinal division on Wednesday. The Colonials now compete in a field of the top 18 teams in the country over the next two days.
"First and foremost, I'm just really proud of the girls for taking care of business and methodically taking on these semifinals," said head coach Billy Martin. "It's not easy qualifying for the final, and they really made it look easy as we were never out of qualifying position. They did a really good job communicating, and I think we learned even more about the venue then we already knew. It's great to be among the final 18 teams in the country."
GW's eighth-place finish in the 18-team field came via strong and steady performances in both A and B Divisions. Riley Legault and Alexandra Fayer took fifth-place in B Division with six top-five finishes in 12 races, while GW finished outside of the top half of the field just once. In A Division, Miranda Bakos and Belle Strachan were ninth but showed some flashes with five top-six finishes.
"Riley and Alexandra sailed great," said Martin. "They only had one double-digit finish, which is a testament to their consistency and speed. I think that will carry over to the next few days. Miranda and Belle sailed really composed and had some tougher times on the starting line in particular, but I think learned a lot about the venue and the breeze direction and will have a good blueprint going towards finals."
Scores for the national finals can be followed here.
