May 17, 2007
Norfolk, Virginia - The Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) National Championships sponsored by PENTAX Imaging Company and Vanguard Sailboats is set to get underway next week when competitors from 24 schools race for three titles: the ICSA Women's National Championship (May 23-25), the ICSA/APS Team Race National Championship (May27-29), and the ICSA/Gill Coed National Championship (May 30-June 1).
Stanford earned births at both the Women's and Coed Championship by outpacing the West Coast competition at the respective conference eliminations at Treasure Island and Hawaii. Conference eliminations qualified 18 colleges to compete in the women's championships; 14 for the team racing championship; and 16 qualified for the dinghy championship, with an additional two teams selected at-large.
The ICSA National Championships sponsored by PENTAX Imaging Company and Vanguard Sailboats brings together sailors representing seven North American conferences to compete in three distinctive events. In the Women's and Dinghy events, each of the 18 schools fields a separate A and B division team. Weather permitting, each division sails eighteen 20- to 30-minute fleet races over three days for a total of 36 races. A team's final score is determined by the combined results of its sailors in A and B divisions.
Stanford sailors heading Norfolk are A division team Evan Brown and Joanna Madsen, B division duo Taylor Grimes and Katherine Schlosser and alternates Caroline Young, Becca Levin, and Kelly McKenna. Representing Stanford at the Coed Nationals will be A division pair Brian Haines and Kelly McKenna, in B division, Emery Wager and Leigh Hammel and alternates Edward Conrad, Becca Levin, and Cameron Bell.
Tune into ESPNU on July 20, 2007 to see a one-hour recap of the Coed Championship, hosted by sailing legend, Gary Jobson. Check www.jobsonsailing.com to confirm airtime.