Nov. 9, 2011

CHICAGO, Ill. -- It was a big weekend for the Navy Sailing Team, with a national championship, a conference championship and a team race intersectional all happening at the same time in different parts of the country.

After a light day and a moderate day, the final day of competition at the ICSA / Laser Performance Women's Single-handed National Championship was predicted to be windy, and Lake Michigan lived up to the billing. During the first race, the wind never fell below 25 knots and gusts were regularly seen at 28-32 with 4+ foot waves. Lasers and radials were capsized all over the course, and it seemed more a test of survival than a sailboat race at times. After the race, the organizers opted to send the fleet back to shore and the event ended there. Navy's Marissa Lihan finished in fifth place overall while teammate Mary Hall was close behind in seventh, two very solid showings in this prestigious event.

At the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Navy was one of eight teams selected to compete in the MAISA Match Race Championship. The team of Jason Carminati, Taylor Vann, Philip Youngberg and Killian Corbishley sailed well in the round robin and earned the No. 2 seed heading into the knockouts. Navy drew Old Dominion University in the semifinals and lost the first race of the best-of-three series. With a berth at the National Championship on the line, Navy fell behind again in race two, but drew a penalty on Old Dominion in the prestart. ODU held the lead throughout the race, but Navy was able to sneak by right at the finish as the Monarchs were taking their penalty turn. Navy then won the third race handily to secure a berth at nationals. Navy then proceeded to beat St. Mary's in the finals to be crowned 2011 MAISA Match Race Champions.

The one team racing intersectional of the fall is the Hap Moore Team Race at the Coast Guard Academy. While Navy doesn't often compete in this event, the team decided to give it a go this year to gain some valuable experience heading into this spring's team racing season. Many of the top New England teams were in attendance and the racing was tight all weekend. Navy finished fifth overall in the 11 team event with a team of Caroline Lockett, Saverio Maldari, Devin Laviano, Chelsea Smith, Michal Grove and Alex Ramos.

# GO NAVY #