NEW ORLEANS, La. – The Navy intercollegiate sailing team started its stretch of taking part in three national championships on Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans with the Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) Team Race National Championship that took place Monday through Wednesday. After advancing to the competition’s top-eight round the Midshipmen ultimately fell just short of a berth in the final four, earning a sixth-place finish in the 16-team field.
“The players gave it their all this week in some really tough conditions,” said head coach Ian Burman. “They fought all the way to the end of the event and while the result wasn’t what we were hoping for, they should be proud of the team racing effort they gave here and all season. Now it’s time to move on to the next regatta.”
After an unusually cold and windy spring season, the event turned out to be very hot with light winds throughout the competition. On day one, all races were conducted in one to five knots of breeze that caused multiple postponements. Navy had a very up and down day, losing a few very close finishes to end the day with a record of 3-3.
Day two started out in a very similar fashion, which led the Mids to a 5-5 mark and on the bubble of advancing out of the round of 16. However, conditions rapidly improved and Navy proceeded to win each of their last five races in round one to finish the afternoon 10-5 to earn a bid to the top-eight round.
The third and final day of racing opened with a solid five to eight knots of breeze which assisted the Midshipmen in continuing their hot streak. Navy won each of its first three races on the day before the wind conditions shifted and became light.
The Mids went on to drop three of their final four races in the round, two being right at the finish line. The result left Navy in sixth place after two rounds with a record of 14-8, a mark that left the Midshipmen just one win shy of earning a bid to the final four.
Sailing for the Mids throughout the regatta were JC Hermus, Gray Benson, Olivia de Olazarra, Fiona Lobon, Kimmie Leonard and Ryan Wahba.
Yale was crowned national champions in the event with a record of 22-3, while Roger Williams finished second at 19-6. Rounding out the top-five teams ahead of the Midshipmen were Georgetown (16-9), Stanford (16-9) and Boston College (14-8), respectively.
UP NEXT
Navy is scheduled to return to action Thursday as it takes part in the ICSA Fleet Race National Championship Western Semifinal. Competition is scheduled to get underway at 10 a.m. with free, live results and video being provided via NavySports.com.
