NEWPORT, R.I. - No. 3 Stanford lived up to its billing today at the Laserperformance Sailing Team Race Nationals today, grabbing third place.
Three days after placing ninth at the Sperry Womens Nationals to start the ICSA National Championships, the Cardinal matched its finish from last season in team racing.
“Obviously it was our intention to win, but we battled through some tough breaks and unfortunate events which brought out the strong character in our team,” said senior captain Kieran Chung, who was pleased with how well Stanford’s team racing unit performed in the long-term. “The team never fell off the podium all season and was in the hunt for the win on the final day at each event.”
Needing a hot start this morning, the Cardinal earned vital wins over No. 6 St. Mary’s College of Maryland and No. 8 Roger Williams University, sending it to the final four. Stanford lost to No. 2 Boston College and No. 1 Yale before securing third with a victory over No. 4 College of Charleston in the last round.
Stanford’s 17-8 record was beaten only by Boston College and Yale, who took home the trophy. Charleston finished fourth by virtue of a head-to-head tiebreaker with the Cardinal.
Stanford’s skippers were unchanged throughout the three day event. Seniors Chung and Hans Henken and junior Antoine Screve helmed the Cardinal boats.
Junior crews Daniel Ron and Sammy Steele pitched in today with sophomores Nikki Obel and John Cannistraro and senior Haley Kirk resuming their roles. Kirk was adamant that the Cardinal are far from finished in Rhode Island.
“We were so happy to have a shot at winning up until the final round,” said Kirk, a senior captain. “There’s no celebrating until it’s all over, and now we’re shifting our focus and looking forward to coed fleet racing.”
The Gill Coed Dinghy Championship begins tomorrow, the third and final event at ICSA Nationals. Ranked No. 5 in team racing, the Cardinal will look to finish the season on a high note.
Live scoring of the event will be available at scores.collegesailing.org.