College of Charleston
SAISA Open N/S #1
Cougars Shift Into High Gear For Four-Regatta Weekend
9/19/2014 9:18:00 PM | Sailing
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CHARLESTON, S.C. – After a light season-opening weekend of competition, the College of Charleston coed and women's sailing teams shift into high gear for a busy four-regatta weekend which will send the squad up-and-down the East Coast against the nation's best.
The Cougars will compete at the Nevins Trophy hosted by the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy on Sept. 20-21 in King's Point, N.Y., the Mrs. Hurst Bowl hosted by Dartmouth on Sept. 20-21 in Hanover, N.H., the Hatch Brown Trophy hosted by MIT on Sept. 20-21 in Boston, Mass., and North Points #2 hosted by Clemson on Sept. 20-21 in Clemson, S.C.
“We've only had one competition at home and that went well,” CofC Head Coach Ward Cromwell said. “But this weekend, we will have 20 kids out on the road traveling to four different events. This will really set the precedence for the fall season and see where we stand (against the top teams in the country).”
Junior All-American skipper Jake Reynolds (San Diego, Calif.) will sail in A-Division at the Hatch Brown with two-time junior All-American crew, Ali Blumethal (Bellport, N.Y.). Last year, CofC placed seventh at the 18-team event. The duo is joined by senior skipper Nick Johnstone (Newport, R.I.) and junior crew Seppie McAdams (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) in B-Division and senior skipper Alex Whipple and senior crew Morgan Buckley (Yonkers, N.Y.) in C-Division.
“We have a really strong incoming freshman class,” said Blumenthal, one of the team's captains this season. “Right off the bat, our freshmen have been great on-and-off the water. We are really pushing for a good result this year. The fall is usually a building time for us, but overall, we think it's going to be a good year for us moving forward.”
Director of Sailing Greg Fisher will lead the Cougars at the three-division Nevins Trophy regatta where they hope to improve on their third-place finish a year ago. A-Division will be sailed by junior skipper Ryan Davidson (Newport Beach, Calif.) and junior crew Emily Stuart (Newport, R.I.) and senior crew Roy Shaw (Bacliff, Texas). Junior Dodge Rees (Pensacola, Fla.) will skipper B-Division with senior crew Tierney Driscoll (Bayport, N.Y.). Junior Reed Baldridge (Clear Lake, Texas) will compete in the lasers in C-Division.
“We will have a really good season this year,” Shaw said. “Last year, we had a lot of good talent and strategy. This year, it will be about going back and realigning our strategy and our talent together and really push for Top 3 finishes at all of our events.”
Cromwell heads to the Mrs. Hurst Bowl with a veteran women's lineup. Senior skipper Clerc Cooper (New Orleans, La.), who was named an honorable mention women's All-American last spring, pairs with sophomore crew Chloe Dapp (Newport Beach, Calif.) in A-Division at the regatta, while junior Beka Schiff (Tampa, Fla.) skippers B-Division with junior crew Michaela Reynolds (Providence, R.I.).
Four freshmen will make their collegiate debuts this weekend at the North Points #2 regatta with Paul Vermazen and Clare Dahl competing in A-Division and Eliot Caple and Islay Petrie in B-Division.
Cougars Finish Second, Fourth at SAISA Open…Conference-rival South Florida (57 points) sailed to a 13-point victory over College of Charleston at the season-opening SAISA Open regatta held on Sept. 13-14 at the J. Stewart Walker Sailing Complex in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. The Cougars' coed team was runner-up in the 18-team field tallying 70 points followed by Eckerd College (72 points) in third, CofC's women's team (97 points) in fourth and Clemson (105 points) in fifth. Newcomers Christophe Killian and Grace McCarthy won B-Division turning in 21 points. In A-Division, Sarah Mackey and Bayley Davidson finished second behind USF with 37 points and freshmen John Thompson and Marissa Bamonte battling Jacksonville in a head-to-head tiebreaker for fifth (49 points). Freshmen Elizabeth Pemberton and Katherine Matheson also competed in B-Division and placed sixth (60 points).
Players Mentioned
