STANFORD, Calif. – Building upon an accolade-filled campaign, Stanford sailing and head coach Brian Swingly have announced its five-member class of 2024: Grace Austin, Gwendolyn Donahue, Hannah Freeman, Marta Munte and Berta Puig. The group joins Stanford from around the country, as well as Spain.
Stanford's coed team was the top-ranked program in the country when the season ended, and the women's team was ranked No. 6. The five freshmen add to a program that won seven regattas in 2019-20, and swept the national sailor of the year awards.
The class of 2024 is listed below.
Grace Austin | Skipper/Crew | 5-9 | Greenwich, Conn. | Greenwich Academy
- Two-year sailing captain at Greenwich Academy
- Qualified as top junior female Laser Radial skipper in U.S., represented her country in the Hempel Youth World Championship in Gdynia, Poland in 2019
- Qualified as only female skipper for high school single-handed (Laser Radial) national championship (2019)
- Member of U.S. Olympic Development Team (Laser Radial)
- Two-time qualifier for NESSA Girl's Championship Finals (2018, 2019)
- Qualified for Singlehanded ISSA Nationals twice (2018, 2019)
- Also lettered one season on cross country team
Quotable: "Grace is most well-known for her accomplishments in the Laser Radial, which she has focused on for the past several years. She is a dominant presence on the Radial circuit as a consistent top-five finisher and represented the US at the 2019 Youth World Championships. While she will certainly help to continue our success in singlehanded sailing, we know she also has the ability to make a huge impact in doublehanded competition. Her natural athleticism and knowledge of the game will allow us to insert her into many different positions right away, a role she is eager to take advantage of." – Head Coach Brian Swingly
Gwendolyn Donahue | Crew | 5-4 | New York, N.Y. | The Dalton School
- Qualified for U.S. Development Team
- Competed in i420 Worlds and Laser Youth Worlds
- Completed internship at Taber Research Lab at Memorial Sloan Kettering, where she researched and studied stem cells and brain tumors
- Participated in cardiothoracic surgical skills internship at Stanford in 2018
- Parents, Robert and Jessica, sailed for Penn's sailing team. Mother captained the team.
Quotable: "Gwen is one of the country's highest performing crews but also has vast experience as a skipper. She has explored the sport in many different disciplines during her youth career and has found success across multiple classes. Gwen works with an elite youth travel team that includes a rich team environment and world class coaching. Having a crew with such a vast background is a luxury that we are looking forward to taking advantage of." – Head Coach Brian Swingly
Hannah Freeman | Skipper | 5-6 | Manchester, Mass. | Manchester Essex Regional
- First place at 2019 O'Day Qualifier in Boston, took seventh at 2019 Phoebe King Invitational
- Second place at 2019 Massachusetts State Championship
- Two-time Team MVP
- Tallied second-place results at I420 Atlantic Coast Championship in 2019 and C420 Mid-Atlantic Championship in 2018
- Finished 10th and 15th, respectively, at the I420 Youth Championship and I420 Women's World Championship in 2019
- Took fourth at C420 Buzzard's Bay Regatta in 2018 and 11th at the I420 North American Championship in 2020. Ended in eighth at 2020 I420 Midwinters.
Quotable: "Hannah has completely dedicated herself to excelling at the sport and has implemented a demanding schedule for herself throughout the entire year. Her passion has put her on an upward trajectory as of late that we believe will only continue during her college career. Hannah had a banner summer in 2019 that featured several top finishes at international events and multiple clinics with some of the top coaches in the country. She leads her high school program as team captain, demonstrating her ability to lead a group to success." – Head Coach Brian Swingly
Marta Munte | Crew | 5-7 | Barcelona, Spain | Institut CAR Sant Cugat
- Female World Champion (29er) in 2014 in Kingston, Canada
- 2018 under-23 European Champion (49erFX) in Gdynia, Poland. Took second in 2017 in Kiel, Germany and third in 2019 in Weymouth, Great Britain.
- Second female at 2015 World Championship (29er) in Pwllheli, Great Britain. Also ended in second at 2017 North American Championship in Kingston, Canada (49erFX).
- First female finisher, second overall at 2014 North American Championship (29er), Finished third at 2017 under-23 Junior World Championship (49erFX), both in Kingston, Canada.
- Graduated with honors, chosen as high school graduation speaker.
- Mother, Rosa, competed for Spain in four world championships, and was crowned Spanish Champion.
- Sister, Carla, has represented Spain in 14 world championships, and was part of Spanish pre-Olympic team for Tokyo 2020 (49erFX). Sails as crew with Carla as the skipper.
Quotable: "Marta recently wrapped up an Olympic campaign in the 49erFX and joins our team ready to take on a new challenge. During her pursuit of the 49erFX, she represented Spain in eleven World Championships, finishing in the top-10 in all of them and finishing on the podium in three. In international competition, she has achieved a podium position at 114 events. This is an extraordinary accomplishment. Along with her innate talent and wealth of experience at the Olympic level, her passion for being on the water and dedication to the sport will have an immediate impact." – Head Coach Brian Swingly
Berta Puig | Skipper | 5-7 | Miami, Fla. | MAST Academy
- Gold medalist at 2019 Youth World Championships in Gdynia, Poland
- Silver medalist at 2018 Youth World Championships in Corpus Christi, Texas
- Champion at 2018 Open Orange Bowl and Midwinters East.
- Member of French and National Honor Societies, Rho Kappa
- Brother, Pere '17, sailed for Tufts
Quotable: "Berta has an extensive training and racing background and has won multiple championships, both national and international, and is the reigning World Champion in the 29er class. We are looking forward to leveraging her already-proven winning methods into the collegiate game. Her coaches describe her as an all-time hard worker, someone who relentlessly practices every skill until she has perfected it. She is a true team player, always looking to raise the bar of the entire group of sailors and coaches she is training with." – Head Coach Brian Swingly