September 27, 2004
Washington Sixth at St. Mary's Open;
Mitchell 4th at Laser Qualifier South

CHESTERTOWN, MD -- The 16th-ranked Washington College sailing team finished sixth of 20 teams this weekend at the St. Mary's Open. In addition, three Washington sailors competed at the Laser Qualifier South, hosted by Navy. Freshman Parker Mitchell (Malibu, CA/Malibu) finished fourth at the Laser Qualifier South.

At the St. Mary's Open, junior skipper Carl Horrocks (Point Pleasant, NJ/Point Pleasant Boro) and freshman crew Alexandria Starks (Toms River, NJ/Monsignor Donovan) finished second in A Division. Senior skipper Chad Hillyer (Summit, NJ/Morristown-Beard) and freshman Hanna Lee (Annapolis, MD/Annapolis) were 13th in B Division.

Navy took first place overall at the St. Mary's Open, followed by Maryland in second and 12th-ranked Hobart/William Smith in third. Four races were held in each of the two divisions, all on Sunday, in light breezes on the St. Mary's River. Two thirds of the races were sailed in a light sea breeze which could not hang on and was eventually replaced by an unstable northerly.

At the Laser Qualifier South, Mitchell finished just one point out of third place, which would have qualified him for next month's MAISA Singlehanded Championships. Senior Colin Robertson (Annapolis, MD/St. Mary's) finished eighth, while freshman Alex Hood (Newport, RI/Portsmouth Abbey) was 13th. Eight races were held on Saturday in 2-5 knot winds from the east-southeast. Six races were held on Sunday in a northeasterly breeze of 6-15 knots.

Next weekend, the Washington College sailing team is scheduled to compete at the Tom Curtis Memorial, hosted by Georgetown, the Faye Bennet Women's Singles, hosted by Navy, and the Danmark Trophy, hosted by Coast Guard.