SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Stanford claimed two PCCSC titles over the weekend, topping the fields in the PCCSC Women's Team and Fleet Race championships. The victory in the women's fleet event was Stanford's 19th straight, while the women's team win was the third straight since the PCCSC began racing the event in 2022.
"Our conference championship made for a great weekend of competition," said head sailing coach Chris Klevan. "This is a special team and, as the season rounds into the final championship stages, it is clear to me we appreciate each of our remaining moments together."
The team race was the first competition of the weekend, taking place on Saturday. The Cardinal put on a dominant display, going undefeated with a 9-0 record across three rounds of racing. Hawaii came in second with a 5-4 record, with three of their losses coming against Stanford.
Four of Stanford's wins were full sweeps, taking 1-2-3 victories against Hawaii twice, Washington once, and Western Washington once.
Each of the Cardinal sailors competed as both a skipper and a crew during the competition. Hannah Freeman, Grace Austin, Michelle Lahrkamp, Vanessa Lahrkamp, Ellie Harned, and Gwendolyn Donahue each lined up for Stanford on Saturday.
In the fleet race competition, Stanford again topped the field of 10 teams with the best scores in both the A and B divisions.
"Our group is coming together at the right time and while we face more challenges in the coming weeks, it seems like the team is committed to face those hardships together," added Klevan. "That is what matters most."
Vanessa Lahrkamp and Michelle Lahrkamp split the skipper duties in the A boat, with the former leading the charge in the first four races and latter sailing races five through 10. Gwendolyn Donahue served as the crew in all the races as they sailed to a division best six points, ten ahead of Hawaii's 16.
The B boat was led by Hannah Freeman for the first two races and Grace Austin for the final eight, with Ellie Harned crewing each race. Stanford again topped the division with 11 points, besting Hawaii's score of 12.
By claiming the two titles in the PCCSC Women's Championship, Stanford has qualified to compete in the ICSA Women's Team Race and Fleet Race national championships from April 28-29 and May 20-23.
The Cardinal returns to action next weekend in the Thompson Trophy and the PCCSC Open Team Race Championship.
