May 26, 2005
Stanford, Calif. - It has been a great year for Stanford Women'sSailing. Next week, the year will culminate at the ICSA Women'sNorth American Championship, hosted by University of Texas in Austin.The top 18 teams from the seven college sailing districts willcompete in the 3-day, 18-race event. Each school will field twodivisions (A & B), whose scores will be combined for the low-pointwinner. The regatta will be contested in double-handed FJ dinghies.
Last year, the Cardinal Women Sailors finished 9th at the Nationals,with then sophomore/junior duo Liz Rountree/Julie Pitts winningB-Division. Rountree earned All-American honors for her performanceover the '03-'04 year. This year she and Pitts return to battle inA-Division. "Our women have had an amazing year," explained Coach JayKehoe. "they've worked exceptionally hard, and know they can cap itoff by winning a National Championship."
Sailing B-Division for the Cardinal are sophomores Caroline Young andAlexa Binns/Becca Levin. Young has won B-Division at every westcoast event this year, and has finished to three at every back-eastevent. Young is looking for a solid performance to solidify her asan All-American this year.
Waiting in the wings are freshmen Evan Brown and crew MariannaBeardsworth. Brown/Beardsworth have a solid resume of top finishes inA-Division for the Cardinal, when the duo has subbed in forRountree/Pitts. Along with sophomore and spare crew, Joanna Madsen.
Stanford has never won a Women's Doublehanded Nationals. CardinalSailing has won the Women's Singlehanded National Championship (2000,Anika Leersen '00), the Team Racing National Championship (1997) andthe Men's Singlehanded National Championship (196, Basil Twist,Jr.'63). For more information about collegiate sailing and the ICSANational Championships, www.collegesailing.org.