Twice is Nice: Cougars Open Spring Slate With Wins at Nelson Roltsch, SAISA Open

Saturday, February 15

Mt. Pleasant, S.C.

College of Charleston

SCOR Offshore

Twice is Nice: Cougars Open Spring Slate With Wins at Nelson Roltsch, SAISA Open

2/17/2020 10:44:00 AM | Sailing

NEW ORLEANS, La. --- College of Charleston started the spring season with a bang over the weekend picking up two regatta wins at the Nelson Roltsch Team Race and the SAISA Open in addition to a second-place finish at the Southern Collegiate Offshore Regatta at the Carolina Yacht Club.

The Cougars delivered a superb performance at the Nelson Roltsch Team Race on Saturday and Sunday in New Orleans beating out second-place Navy with a 20-1 record to claim the regatta title. Charleston's only loss of the weekend came in round two to Navy as the Cougars swept rounds one and three, 7-0. Steven Leuck, Alie Toppa and Jack Brown skippered for the Cougars with crews Noelle Owen, Jack Sutton and Hunter Skinner. Nine of the Cougars' 20 wins were the result of 1-2-3 sweeps.

Charleston picked up its second win of the weekend on Saturday and Sunday at the SAISA Open in St. Petersburg, Fla. With a 16-point victory over Jacksonville. Freshmen Brandon Geller and Elizabeth DiPietro put together a dominating performance in B-Division. The duo won the division by 12 points over Eckerd and finished lower than second in only one of 10 races. Junior Patrick Eaton skippered the Cougars to 45 points in A-Division alongside sophomore crew Adrianna Lee. Eaton and Lee totaled three wins and nine top-five finishes for the weekend.

The offshore team turned in a stellar performance of its own at SCOR, placing second in A-Division with 19.5 points and five top-two finishes from eight races. Stuart Henry led the line for the Cougars alongside seniors Michael Brandon and Key Becker, juniors Harrison Koller and Garrett McKinnon, sophomores Maggie Wilcox and Cade Morris, and freshman Marina Cirillo.

The Cougars are back on the water next weekend with a trio of regattas on the schedule: the Phebe Corckran King Women's on Saturday and Sunday at the J. Stewart Walker Sailing Complex; Mendelblatt Team Race on Saturday and Sunday in St. Petersburg, Fla.; and Frostbite Offshore on Saturday in Charleston.