KINGS POINT, N.Y. - Stanford secured the first women's sailing national championship in program history, claiming the ICSA Women's Fleet Race title on Friday afternoon. It marks the Cardinal's second-ever sailing team title, after claiming ICSA Open Team national championship in 1996-97.
Stanford sailed to victory in dominant fashion, taking first overall in the western semifinal over the first two days of the competition. In the final rounds of racing, the Cardinal took a convincing lead over Yale to secure the victory.
Stanford finished with 96 points, 65 in the A division and 31 in the B division.
While Yale posted the best score in the A division with 56 points, Stanford's dominant showing in the B division pushed the team to victory, with the second-best mark coming from Harvard, who had 61.
Ten races were sailed in the final round, all of which took place on Thursday, May 25. A lack of wind prevented more races from taking place on Friday, May 26, sealing the trophy for Stanford.
Throughout both the semifinal and final, Michelle Lahrkamp led the way for the Cardinal in the A division, skippering each of the races. Sophie Fisher, Patricia Gerli, and Ellie Harned took command of the crew duties, leading the team to the second-best score in the division.
In the B division, Vanessa Lahrkamp, Michelle's younger sister, took the helm. She was joined by Grace Austin and Abigail Tindall in the crew roles, and posted the best score in the division by 30 points.
In commanding fashion, the Cardinal claimed five first place finishes in the B division out of ten total races to seal the victory.
After the event, Hannah Freeman, Michelle Lahkramp, and Vanessa Lahrkamp were each named ICSA Women All-American Skippers.
Stanford is back in action at two more national championships over the next seven days, beginning with the ICSA Open Team Race Championship on Saturday, May 27, and the Open Fleet Race Championship on May 30.
