STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford sailing wrapped the first of the four ICSA national championships on Saturday afternoon, finishing in fourth place at the ICSA Open Team Race Championships.
The Cardinal finished the weekend with a 14-11 record, using a strong showing on the final day of competition to jump into the top flour of the team standings. Harvard was named Open Team Race champions with a 20-5 record, followed by Yale (19-6) and Roger Williams (18-7).
“Qualifying for the Final Four is a major accomplishment and we should all be proud of the work and execution it took to get there," head coch Chris Klevan said. "At the same time, it’s natural to feel some disappointment. Both emotions can coexist and I’m comfortable with that duality. What matters is how we respond by letting the pride in a strong finish affirm that we’re progressing as a team, bumps and all, while also allowing the sting of disappointment to fuel us to work harder, be sharper, and come together even more in pursuit of our goals. That balance is something we all share responsibility for.”
Competition began with the Round of 16, where the Cardinal tallied a 9-6 record in the opening round robin, tallying wins over Navy, Dartmouth, St. Mary's, Charleston, Tulane, Tufts, Coast Gaurd, Bowdoin, and Michigan.
Stanford advanced in the Round of 8, earning four more wins to finish tied for fourth place, inlcuding a win over eventual runner-up, Yale. The tie required a sail-off with Brown, where the Cardinal won with a 2-3-4 finish to advance to the Final Four. The Cardinal picked up yet another win over Yale in the final round to ultimately climb to fourth in the team standings.
The Cardinal were led by skippers Reade Decker, Thomas Sitzmann, and Vanessa Lahrkamp, while the group of Piper Blackband, Ellie Harned, Kit Harned, Alice Schmid, Dylan Sih, and Ashtyn Tiernet split crew duties.