May 30, 2013
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Stanford finished sixth Thursday at the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association Gill Coed National Championship, overcoming a deficit that started the Cardinal off in 15th place on the first day of the regatta. The Stanford squad posted 301 total points in the championship, concluding the three-day event and a sensational spring campaign.
College of Charleston (215), who held on to the lead throughout the championship regatta, took home the national title. Georgetown (235) and Dartmouth (256) finished second and third, respectively.
Stanford, the nation's top-ranked coed unit entering the event, scored 204 points in the A-Division and 97 points in the B-Division.
Hans Henken, Kevin Laube, Mateo Vargas, Rebecca King and Kelly Ortel finished 15th in the A-Division. The B-Division trio of Oliver Toole, Haley Kirk and Helena Scutt came back from 11th on the first day of races to finish second overall.
The Cardinal rallied on the third day of the championship, moving from 10th to sixth as the B-Division unit posted five points.
The squad began to gain some ground on the 18-team field when it scored 128 points and improved from 15th place on day two.
Winds were strong throughout the regatta, reaching 18 knots on Thursday and creating choppy conditions. Many teams combated the breeze by adding more weight to their boats, adjusting their pairings accordingly.
Stanford competed at all three national championships this spring, finishing fifth in women's racing and sixth in team racing.
Even more, three Stanford sailors claimed ICSA All-America honors. Toole was named an All-American skipper for the Cardinal, and Carolyn Ortel and Kirk were named All-American crew.
This is the first All-America honor for the sophomore Kirk, while juniors Toole and Ortel garnered their second All-America honors.
The trio helped Stanford sweep the events at the Pacific Coast Collegiate Sailing Conference, earning three conference titles this spring en route to its first No.1 ranking in program history.
-- #goStanford --