NEW ORLEANS - Stanford finished the third of three straight national competitions on a high note, taking third overall in the ICSA Women's Fleet Race National Championships. This tied the Cardinal's best finish in the event in program history, matching a 2007 third place finish.
Stanford's third bronze medal on Thursday marked its best national finish of the year, topping the program's fourth place finish in the Coed Team Race Championships and fifth place finish in the Coed Fleet Race Championships last week. The Cardinal battled varriable conditions throughout the four days of the final event, dealing with both storm and no-wind delays.
Michelle Lahrkamp, Grace Austin, and Sammy Pickell led the way in the A division, helping Stanford to the second-best overall point total in the division only behind eventual champion Boston College. Lahrkamp and Pickell finished off a long stretch on the water as the junior skipper and senior crew competed in all three events in New Orleans over the last 11 days.
In the B division, six sailors took the reigns for Stanford. Skippers Hallie Schiffman, Stephanie Houck, and Hannah Freeman were joined by Gwendolyn Donahue, Abigail Tindall, and Patricia Gerli on the water.
Stanford also sailed well in the B division, finishing ahead of Boston College only behind Yale in the overall B division rankings. The Bulldogs would go on to finish second overall, just four points ahead of the Cardinal.
Stanford battled throughout the two days of the finals with Yale and Boston College for the lead. The Cardinal was able to rally into first after three races were completed on Wednesday and again on Thursday after 16 total races had taken place. Stanford was unable to maintain the lead, however, and fell back into third heading into the final rounds of the event.
The Cardinal closed out competition with a dominant final 11th race in both divisions. Lahrkamp and Pickell took a sizeable lead at the start of the final race and held it all the way until the finish. In the B division, Freeman and Gerli fought to take control and opened a wide gap between them and the second place finishers.
Stanford caps off one of the most successful postseasons in program history, finishing in the top-five in each of the Coed Fleet, Coed Team, and Women's Fleet for only the second time ever. The Cardinal also claimed third place in the inaugural ICSA Women's Team Race Championships last month, making it a top-five finish in each of the four team national championships this spring.
