STANFORD, Calif. - Competing on a windy weekend from the ICSA Match Race National Championship in Marblehead Mass., Stanford's team of skipper Jack Parkin and crew Wiley Rogers, Victoria Thompson and Jacob Rosenberg captured the Cornelius Shields, Sr. Trophy after sweeping Georgetown in a first-to-three wins in the event final.
Stanford goes undefeated in the finals to win the ICSA Match Race National Championship! pic.twitter.com/TshtodfDnP
— Stanford Sailing (@StanfordSailing) November 3, 2019
The Cardinal reached Sunday's final against the Hoyas by way of beating Jacksonville in a best-of-three semifinal earlier in the day. Stanford won the first and final races of the three before carrying momentum into the three victories over Georgetown.
"I just didn't feel nervous in any way, which is unusual. I just felt really confident going into that race," Parkin said of the clinching win over Jacksonville to reach the finals.
Intended as a three-day competition, Friday's sailing was cancelled due to sustained 30-knot winds with gusts in the 40s.
When asked about the windy conditions over the weekend and how it altered the racing, Parkin said, "If you have three days of racing, you have extra opportunities to make mistakes. So, with two days of racing, you've got to minimize mistakes as much as possible and really emphasize each race. We knew we'd have to win every race moving forward, or come close to that."
Stanford's quartet was able to heed Parkin's advice when action started on Saturday, ultimately going 8-1 in round-robin competition to claim the No. 2 seed into the semifinals - the only loss coming to Georgetown.
Racing from the Match Race National Championship was cancelled today due to sustained 30 knot wind with gusts in the 40s. ?? ?? ??#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/cwysdockst
— Stanford Sailing (@StanfordSailing) November 1, 2019
Looking for redemption against the Hoyas, Stanford came from behind to edge Georgetown in the first race, erased another deficit in the second, and ran away with the final leg to earn the trophy.
Stanford takes race 2 and leads the series 2-0. pic.twitter.com/aS9kdWok1n
— Stanford Sailing (@StanfordSailing) November 3, 2019
No stranger to competing together at the Match Race National Championship, Parkin, Thompson and Rogers joined Mathew Hogan and finished third at the event last year. Parkin then teamed with Rogers, Thompson and Rosenberg to place third at the Governor's Cup hosted by Balboa Yacht Club last summer, while the foursome finished fifth at the Youth Match Race World Championship in Russia.
"We've had a lot of practice together, including sailing at the World Championships in Russia," Parkin said of his experience with his crew. "Especially today, things meshed really well and we were all set in our roles and it seemed very seamless."
The fall season continues next weekend as Stanford heads to the ICSA Women's Singlehanded National Championship in Santa Barbara, Calif.