October 15, 2006
WC Wins Washington College Open
Washington Also Third at North Fall #2

CHESTERTOWN, MD -- Two squads representing the Washington College sailing team finished first overall and third overall at the Washington College Open on the Chester River this weekend. "Washington A" finished first, while "Washington B" was third. The WC sailors also finished third of 16 teams at the North Fall #2, hosted by New York Maritime, this weekend.

At the Washington College Open, junior skipper Alex Hood (Newport, RI/Portsmouth Abbey) and junior crew Shrijana Puri (Bethesda, MD/Bethesda-Chevy Chase) won A Division for "Washington A," while freshman skipper Conner Blouin (Tampa, FL/Jesuit) and junior crew Alexandria Starks (Toms River, NJ/Monsignor Donovan) won B Division for "Washington A." Hood and Puri won eight of the 10 A Division races and finished second in the other two. Blouin and Starks won six B Division races and finished in the top four in all 10.

Junior skipper Parker Mitchell (Malibu, CA/Malibu) and sophomore crew Derek Packard (Excelsior, MN/Breck) were third in A Division for "Washington B," while sophomore skipper Nicholas Larmore (Wilmette, IL/New Trier), sailing with freshman crews Alex Iliescu (Glassboro, NJ/Glassboro) and Genevieve Smith (Hampstead, MD/North Carroll), was third in B Division for "Washington B."

Third-ranked St. Mary's (MD) finished second between the two squads from the host school at the Washington College Open. Winds at the Washington College Open were from the west, ranging from 8-15 knots on Saturday and 6-10 knots on Sunday.

During the second day of the Washington College Open, it was announced the Washington's annual team race regatta has been renamed the Tom Noble Team Race in honor of longtime Washington College assistant coach and sailing supporter Tom Noble.

At the North Fall #2, freshman skipper Patrick Clancy (Scituate, MA/Boston College HS) and junior crew Tonie Domino (Crownsville, MD/Old Mill) were fourth in A Division, while junior skipper Meredith Dodd (Pittsburgh, PA/Upper St. Clair) and freshman crew Krista Hankins (Bridgeton, NJ/Cumberland Regional) finished third in B Division.

Fourth-ranked Hobart/William Smith won the North Fall #2, while Merchant Marine was second. Saturday's races at the North Fall #2 were held in south-southeast winds of 10-25 knots, while Sunday's races sailed in winds which started from the south and continued shifting right all day ending out of the southwest at 10-20 knots. Sixteen races were sailed in each division during the weekend.

Next weekend, the Washington College sailing team will compete at the MAISA Sloops Championships, hosted by Navy and the Kings Point Dinghy Open.