SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The Stanford sailing team wrapped up its 2015-16 season on Friday with a 6th place finish in the Gill Coed National Championship at the San Diego Yacht Club.
“It was a tough battle for the coed championship,” said head coach John Vandemoer. “The points were so close and we had a chance all the way until the end.”
A photo posted by Stanfordsailing (@stanfordsailing) on Jun 3, 2016 at 6:25pm PDT
With 6th place at coed nationals, the Cardinal finishes third in the Fowle Trophy, a cumulation of all six ICSA national championships (match racing, women’s singlehanded, men’s singlehanded, women’s, team racing, coed).
“The team is really proud of our third-place finish in the Fowle Trophy,” said Vandemoer. “I'm really proud of the whole team. Not just our players here at nationals but the rest at home who have worked so hard and contributed so much.”
Senior skipper Antoine Screve, senior crew Sammy Steele and junior crew J.P. Cannistraro finished sixth in the A-division. Freshman skipper Will La Dow took the reigns in the B-division, finishing fifth with freshman crew Kathryn Booker and sophomore crew Kennedy Placek.
“I was a little bummed we couldn’t pull off the win, but our finish in the Fowle Trophy showcases how solid we are as a team,” said La Dow. “I feel even hungrier for success next year and am excited for what the future holds.”
The Cardinal opened the coed championship in the eastern semifinal on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the top nine teams advancing to the finals. Screve and senior Axel Sly took charge of Stanford’s A-boat, finishing seventh in the fleet, with Steele and Cannistraro serving as crews.
In the B-division, four underclassmen gave Stanford a third-place finish. La Dow, freshman skipper Russell Clarida, Booker and Placek were the only B-division team in the top six without a junior or senior.
“Nationals was such a fun and competitive event for all three championships,” said Steele. “Antoine and I fought ever step of the way. I couldn’t think of a better way to finish senior year.”
“I would like to thank our captains Reinier Eenkema van Dijk and Daniel Ron for their leadership,” added Vandemoer. “I deeply thank all of our seniors — Axel, Sammy, Yuki and Antoine — for making this last four years so special. The passion and hard work that they have displayed make us one of the top teams in the country.”