UP NEXT » Stanford kicks off the second weekend of action with a boatload of racing. The Cardinal is set to compete in the Danmark Trophy, the Moody Trophy, the Women's ACC Round 1, and the PCCSC Singlehanded Championship.
The Cardinal will feature 21 athletes this season including returners Margot Hutchins, Chapman Petersen, Ellie Harned, Sophie Fisher, Vanessa Lahrkamp, Reade Decker, Alice Schmid, Thomas Sitzmann, Shay Wood, Luke Woodworth, Alexis Young. Stanford will also feature newcomers Kit Harned, Piper Blackband, Ashtyn Tierney, Ava Cornel, Thomas Whidden, Abby Baird, Ally Jones, Dylan Sih, and Caroline Geiger.
LAST TIME OUT » The Cardinal kicked off the 2024 campaign with the PCCSC Match Racing title, along with a second place finish in the Women's Sugar Bowl and a fourth place finish in the Open Sugar Bowl.
“I have a lot of faith in this boat to do the work required to win a championship,” said head sailing coach Chris Klevan on the conference championship-winning match race team. “Winning the conference was the first necessary step towards that goal.”
The Cardinal was decisive from start to finish in the regatta, taking all four wins against its opponents in both round robins. Stanford competed against USC, Hawaii, Cal State Maritime, and California in the event and came out on top, with Hawaii taking second and Cal State Maritime finishing in third.
In the Sugar Bowl regattas, Stanford kicked off its season against some strong opponents.
“For all but one person sailing this was a successful start to a long and encouraging career in college sailing,” said Klevan. “I saw many things to suggest there is a lot to look forward to.”
Stanford’s A boat took first in the division by a wide margin, finishing with 46 points. Second place Tulane had 65. Sophie Fisher and freshman Piper Blackband led the way for Stanford in the A division.
“And for the one who is now half way through her career, Sophie Fisher, sailing with Piper Blackband, I saw enough to suggest they’ll be ready for the biggest stage when it comes time,” said Klevan. “The A-Division win is an exciting finish.”
Stanford’s B boat finished fourth overall in the division with 119 points, earning the Cardinal 165 points overall for second place. Ava Cornell and Alexandra Jones took the helm of the B division boat for the Cardinal.
In the Allstate Open Sugar Bowl, Stanford’s A boat claimed a fourth place finish in the division. A pair of freshmen, Dylan Sih and Ashtyn Tierney finished with 101 points.
The B division boat consisting of two more freshmen, Thomas Whidden and Abby Baird also took fourth, finishing with 89 points.
LAST SEASON » Stanford cemented itself as the best women’s sailing program in the nation in 2024, completing the sweep of the ICSA Women’s Team and Fleet Race Championships, also becoming back to back champions in the Women’s Fleet.
Stanford’s fall season began with eight regatta wins. Along with the success on the water, the Cardinal sailors also celebrated their 2023 trophies, as the team received its championship rings at a football game.
Stanford picked up right where it left off to start the spring season, winning six straight regattas. The Cardinal went on to claim four conference championship trophies, taking both the women and open divisions of the team and fleet races.
To cap off the season before Nationals began, Stanford claimed the PCCSC Open Team Race title and the Thompson trophy over the same weekend. The Cardinal went 38-1 across the two events to take the wins in a conference championship and a premier interconference trophy.
The Cardinal then headed to the Charles River where it competed in four straight national championships hosted by MIT. In the first regatta, Stanford earned a top five finish, taking fifth place in the ICSA Open Team Race. The result was Stanford's sixth straight top-five finish, dating back to 2018.
Directly following the open team race, Stanford captured its first title of the 2024 spring season. The Cardinal took the trophy in dominant fashion, as Stanford sailed to an 18-1 record to top the field at the ICSA Women's Team Race National Championship.
In the following national championship event, Stanford claimed yet another title. The Cardinal took its second straight ICSA Women's Fleet Race title and its fifth national title overall, topping the field on the Charles River in Massachusetts.
The title was Stanford's fourth national title in the last calendar year (2023 - ICSA Women's Fleet, ICSA Open Fleet; 2024 - ICSA Women's Team, ICSA Women's Fleet). The Cardinal also won multiple national titles in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history.
Following Stanford's dominant performance in the national championships, the Cardinal took home plenty of individual accolades.
Vanessa Lahrkamp was named the Quantum Women's College Sailor of the Year, the second in program history as Lahrkamp joins her sister who earned the accolade in 2020. Vanessa Lahrkamp was instrumental in leading Stanford to the ICSA Women's Team and Fleet Race titles in 2024, also earning the title of PCCSC Women's Skipper of the Year.
Vanessa Lahrkamp also earned two All-America awards, claiming a nod as an ICSA Women's Skipper All-American and an ICSA Open Skipper Honorable Mention selection. It's the second straight year Lahrkamp was honored in both the Women's and Open divisions.
Michelle Lahrkamp also earned two All-America awards for the second straight season, being named both an ICSA Women's Skipper and Open Skipper All-American.
Hannah Freeman earned her second consecutive ICSA Women's Skipper All-America award while Thomas Sitzmann joined the Lahrkamp sisters with an ICSA Open Skipper All-America nod.
Stanford also had three crews named All-Americans. Alice Schmid, Ellie Harned, and Gwendolyn Donahue were each named All-America Crews after their dominant performances led Stanford to two national titles.