Nov. 6, 2008

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Georgetown University sailing team competed in two events last weekend. In the War Memorial Regatta hosted by Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., Georgetown finished first of 18 teams and took sixth of 18 teams at the Harvard Women's Intersectional.

The War Memorial Regatta is the conference championship for the Hoyas coed team. The fifth-ranked Hoyas bested a field that included No. 1 St. Mary's as well as four other teams ranked in the top 20. Sailing on Cayuga Lake at the Cornell Boathouse, the Blue & Gray competed against Navy, St. Mary's, Old Dominion and Washington College for first place overall. With perfect sailing conditions and a north wind of 10-15 mph, St. Mary's jumped out to an early lead but faltered mid-day on Saturday to give the Hoyas just the opening they needed and they capitalized on the opportunity. The A and B Division combined to win six races in a row to open up a double-digit lead that GU would never relinquish.

With a significant lead in hand, the Hoyas sailed conservatively on Sunday to win the regatta with 69 points, five over Navy (74). Navy was followed by St. Mary's (98), NY Maritime (105), Washington College (107), Old Dominion (127), Kings Point (140) and Hobart (149) to round out the top eight.

In the A Division, sophomore Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor) paired with junior Alex Taylor (Hobe Sound, Fla./The Benjamin School) for the first time since the 2008 National Championship and senior Carly Chamberlain (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor) to take second place. In the B Division, sophomore Evan Aras (Annapolis, Md./Severn School) and junior Caila Johnson (Newport, R.I./St. Paul's School) were dominant in their races and showed superior boatspeed and tactics.

The win at the War Memorial Regatta gives Georgetown the MAISA Coed Fall Conference Championship and ensure the Hoyas will have the No. 1 schedule for the 2009 season.

The Georgetown women's team rebounded after a lackluster October. The Hoyas sent three freshen and a sophomore to the Charles River to sail against the best women's teams in the nation. Not only did GU compete against other teams but battled a light and shifty Charles River - conditions that would make even the best sailor appear ordinary.

The Hoyas were consistent and sailed mostly top-10 races which helped them stay well ahead of some top-ranked teams. The Blue & Gray were sixth with 179 points behind Harvard (119), Yale (132), Brown (132), Connecticut College (167), and Boston College (179).

In the A division, freshman Sydney Bolger (Long Beach, Calif./Poly High School) and sophomore Ashley Phillips (Charleston, S.C./Ashley Hall) finished eighth. In the B Division, freshman Lauren Burke (Dartmouth, Mass./Tabor Academy) and Rebecca Evana finished seventh.

Next up for the women's team is the MAISA Women's Fall Championship hosted by Navy in Annapolis, Md.