June 2, 2012

SPERRY TOP-SIDER/ICSA WOMEN'S NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP DAY THREE
Austin, Texas (June 1, 2012) - The Sperry Top-Sider/ICSA Women's
National Championship continued today in Austin, Texas on Lake Travis
co-sponsored by the University of Texas Sailing Team and the Austin
Yacht Club. Eighteen collegiate teams from across the nation are vying
for the national title, the Gerald C. Miller Trophy, awarded to the
winning team.
Racing got underway around 10 a.m. in 5-6 knots of breeze from the
northeast. Temperatures were in the high seventies to start the day.
B-division hit the water first for races 3B and 4B. The sailors race
on a windward/leeward course four times around, a W4, which has a
downwind finish.
Racing was postponed after race 3B due to a lack of wind. The sailors
were eventually sent in to shore to wait for the breeze and take
shelter from the sun and heat. It became a waiting game and the
competitors did not head back out on the water until around 3 p.m.
after a four-hour postponement.
Race 4B had a general recall, but the second start was all clear. The
wind filled in to about 7-10 knots from the southeast. Conditions
continued to be shifty, but the breeze stayed steady and Boston
College won the race with a nice lead over the University of Michigan,
Yale University and Georgetown University.
Light winds prevailed the rest of the day, 6-10 knots from a
southeasterly direction and the temperature was in the high 80s.
Staying in velocity and in phase on the racecourse was the name of the
game as shifts continued to roll down the course, much like they did
during yesterday's racing.
"The shifts were not typical oscillating shifts, but were persistent
and big, sometimes lasting an entire leg," Mike Callahan, head coach
of Georgetown University says. This makes it tricky for the sailors to
determine which shifts to commit to, not always knowing if it will
last for a short amount of time or for a large portion of the race
course. Callahan says at one point his sailors decided not to give
into a right shift and ended up going from 12th place to 1st place by
staying left away from the fleet.
Callahan says there was a bit of randomness and craziness on the
course, which also made the starting line a challenge. He says the
race committee is doing the best they can with the conditions they are
given.
Georgetown's plan today was to sail consistently and stay in the top
ten, which they managed successfully thanks to Sydney Bolger '12 and
Rebecca Evans '12 in A-division and Nancy Hagood '14 and Tory Lynch 12
in B-division.
Georgetown is currently in second place overall having moved up from
fifth place after yesterday's racing. They are one point behind the
leaders, Boston College. Callahan says Georgetown has never won a
Women's National Championship title, the closest they have come was a
second place finish in 2006 and a third place finish in 2005 the last
time Nationals was held in Austin.
Two races were completed in A-division and four races were completed
in B-division today, which means there are many more races to get
through tomorrow.
The sailors will report again at 8 a.m. with racing set to begin around 9 a.m.
CDT. The forecast is for winds out of the south around 8-12 knots and
temperatures hovering around 90 degrees. Tomorrow will be the last day of racing in
the regatta and no race can begin after 5 p.m. The day will culminate in an awards
banquet scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on the Austin Yacht Club patio.
The top three women's teams will be presented with the Gerald C.
Miller Trophy (1st place), the New England Women's Trophy (2nd place) and the Ann
Campbell Trophy (3rd place). The Quantum Women's College Sailor of the Year will also be awarded to a female sailor who has consistently performed at the highest
competitive level in the2011-2012 seasons. The ICSA Women's All-American Team will also be announced.
For full results and regatta information visit the event website:
http://2012nationals.collegesailing.org/
Top Nine Teams - Day 3
1. Boston College, 59
2.Georgetown University, 60
3. Yale University, 69
4. University of Rhode Island, 76
5. Connecticut College, 85
6. Harvard University, 88
7. College of Charleston, 89
8. U.S. Naval Academy, 106
9. Stanford University, 111