44 point Lead Sends Co-eds to Nationals

May 2, 2007

The Team Racing and Coed Dinghy Pacific Coast Championships were held Friday through Sunday at the Keehi Lagoon, hosted by the University of Hawaii. On Friday, in a shifty, up and down breeze from the Northeast, seven teams competed in a double round robin followed by a single final four round robin. Out of the blocks, Stanford fell to the University of Southern California, but rebounded quickly winning the remaining 11 races in the round robin. Sailing for Cardinal throughout the day was Brian Haines, Kelly McKenna, Emery Wager, Leigh Hammel, Edward Conrad, Becca Levin, Joanna Madsen, Taylor Grimes, and Cameron Bell.

Heading into the final four, Cardinal Sailors had a 2 race lead over USC and the University of California at Irvine, each with a 9-3 record. The University of Hawaii Rainbows trailed with an 8-4 score. Stanford defeated Hawaii in the first race, while USC beat UCI. Next, the Cardinal faced the Anteaters, and looked to have the race secured, exiting the leeward mark in a 1-3-5. But UCI, in a not-so-textbook move, did the 4-6 passback on Edward Conrad and Becca Levin, who were in 5th. With feet to the finish line, Stanford got an unfavorable shift, and UCI snuck into first. Meanwhile, USC out-sailed Hawaii.

It came down to the last race; Stanford was in a "do or die" position. And unfortunately, for only the second time all season long, USC would be the better of the Cardinal. With an equal record, Stanford lost the tiebreaker, because USC beat Stanford in 2 of 3 previous races. Up until this year, the Pacific Coast Conference has been awarded two births to the National Championship. But this year, PCCSC was only awarded one birth because of growth in the southern district.

Saturday was the start of the two-day fleet race Championship. Eleven teams competed for the top spot. Stanford showed their remarkable mental tenacity to comeback after the huge setback on Friday. The wind conditions were again from the Northeast and the only thing you could expect were big shifts in every race. Senior Emery Wager and freshman Leigh Hammel started the event in B Division with a 1-3. Senior Brian Haines and sophomore Kelly McKenna competed in A Division. Both divisions sailed exceptionally well, and finished consistently, giving the team a 24-point cushion at the end of the day.

On Sunday, the team continued to stretch their lead. Haines and McKenna dominated A division, finishing 15 of 18 races in the top two! Junior Edward Conrad and sophomore Cameron Bell subbed into B Division for the last four races. The team wrapped the day 44 points ahead of the competition, and now looks forward Nationals at the end of May at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

A division = 18 Races
B division = 18 Races