Peschiera, Offshore Sailors Look To Repeat at Nationals
11/7/2015 12:02:00 AM | Sailing
CHARLESTON, S.C. – It's championship week for both the College of Charleston coed and offshore sailing teams as the Cougars look to repeat as national champions at the ICSA Men's and Women's Singlehanded National Championships regatta hosted by Old Dominion on Nov. 7-8 in Norfolk, Va., and the Kennedy Offshore Cup hosted by the U.S. Naval Academy on Nov. 6-8 in Annapolis, Md.
Last fall, sophomore Stefano Peschiera (Lima, Peru) became the sixth all-time sailor in school history to be awarded the Glen S. Foster Trophy by virtue of winning the ICSA Men's Singlehanded National Championship title. Former CofC standout and two-time Olympian Juan Maegli was the last sailor to be crowned singlehanded national champion twice in 2009 and 2012.
Peschiera qualified for nationals for the second year in a row after a first-place finish at the SAISA Men's Singlehanded Championship back in September. This summer, he earned his native Peru a place in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. It marked the first time the country has ever won an Olympic place through the qualification process. Peschiera qualified for the Rio Games by finishing 24th this summer at the 2015 ISF Laser World Championships held in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
He will be joined at men's nationals by junior Enrique Arathoon (Guatemala City, Guatemala), who will also be sailing in Rio in the Laser Class, and senior Reed Baldridge (Clear Lake, Texas). Meanwhile, senior Beka Schiff (Tampa, Fla.) will make her third-straight appearance at the ICSA Women's Singlehanded Championship competition.
“We are in a good place going into this event,” CofC Head Coach Ward Cromwell said. “Our sailors are relaxed and confident. It should be a great weekend for us.”
One calendar year ago, the Cougars' offshore sailing team won the prestigious Kennedy Cup over the course of three competitive days of racing in Navy 44's.
Competing this weekend for the defending ICSA Keelboat National Champions will be sophomore skipper Marc DeLoach (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.), junior main Noah Blacker (St. Petersburg, Fla.), senior primary trim Brandon Folkman (Redondo Beach, Calif.), senior primary trim Stefan Kuehn (Cutchogue, N.Y.), junior secondary trim Howie Meyers (Bellport, N.Y.), sophomore pitt Corinne Durocher (Monroe, Mich.), sophomore squirrel Jamie Craven, sophomore mast Tristan Scott Nord (Knoxville, Tenn.) and sophomore bow Holly Deuterman (Greensboro, N.C.).
Players Mentioned
