Gonzalez, Blouin Highlight Busy Weekend for Cougars

Saturday, September 18

Mt. Pleasant, S.C.

College of Charleston

CORA Fall Harbor Race

Gonzalez, Blouin Highlight Busy Weekend for Cougars

9/19/2021 9:58:00 PM | Sailing

CHARLESTON, S.C. --- College of Charleston sophomore Alex Gonzalez placed second in his debut at the SAISA Singlehanded Championships and assistant coach Conner Blouin dominated a stacked field to win the US Sailing Championship of Champions in Orchard Park Lake Village, Mich. to highlight a busy weekend for the Cougars' sailing program.

Gonzalez finished the SAISA Men's Singlehanded Championship with 27 points from eight rotations never finishing below fifth. He placed second in three races and third in two more, and will now await a potential at-large bid to the ICSA Men's Singlehanded National Championship on Nov. 6 and 7 in Seattle, Wash. Senior Carson Shields finished fifth with 47 points while sophomore Lawson Levine and freshman Ethan Homberger placed sixth and seventh, respectively.

The Cougars' offshore team competed in two regattas this weekend: the Shields Trophy Regatta in Annapolis, Md. and the CORA Fall Harbor Race in Charleston. Sophomore driver Connor Marion guided Charleston to a seventh-place finish at the Shields Trophy Regatta with 24 points from four races. Marion was joined on the boat by main/tactics Skye Ehrhart, primary trim Julianna Corso, secondary trim Megan Fetterley, squirrel/runner Hadley Walsh, pit Kate Schmiege, mast Evan Chenard and bow Caroline Williams. Burke Anvari and Garrett McKinnon were unused extras.

Charleston also placed fifth with 13 points in the CORA Fall Harbor Race on its home waters this weekend. Sailing on boat Cougar were: driver Sean Groskoph, main Braden Johnson, primary John McCarthy, secondary Emmi Triplett, squirrel Oliver Geraghty, mast Nick Dunphey and bow Cade Morris.

Blouin, alongside his crew JoAnn Fisher and Samuel Blouin, delivered a dominating performance at US Sailing's Championship of Champions in Michigan. The trio never finished outside the top four, save their one throw-out race, on their way to a 17-point victory in the 14-race regatta. They won a trio of races and finished second in seven others to claim the Jack Brown Trophy.

The Cougars return to the water for a trio of regattas next weekend: North Points #3 on Saturday, September 25 in Charleston; the SAISA Women's Open on Sunday, September 26 in Charleston; and the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Offshore Race on Friday through Sunday in Chicago, Illinois.