October 28, 2007
#16 Washington 8th at War Memorial
WC Qualifies for Atlantic Coast Dinghy Championships

BRONX, NY-- The sixteenth-ranked Washington College sailing team finished eighth of 19 teams at the War Memorial, the MAISA Fall Co-Ed Dinghy Championships, this weekend. The regatta was hosted by New York Maritime.

Senior skipper Alex Hood (Newport, RI/Portsmouth Abbey) sailed with senior crew Shrijana Puri (Bethesda, MD/Bethesda-Chevy Chase) and freshman Caroline Hill (Tiverton, RI/Bishop Stang, MA) to finish seventh in A Division. Sophomore skipper Conner Blouin (Tampa, FL/Jesuit) sailed with and sophomore crew Krista Hankins (Bridgeton, NJ/Cumberland Regional) and freshman crew James Shepherd (Chicago, IL/Lincoln Park) to place eighth in B Division.

Third-ranked St. Mary's won the War Memorial, while fifth-ranked Georgetown was second and Pennsylvania was third. Eight races were sailed in each division on Saturday in rainy conditions with winds ranging between 10-15 knots out of the south and southwest. Six races were sailed in each division on Sunday under sunny skies with winds starting at 15 knots and increasing to 20 with gusts to 25 out of the northwest.

Washington, along with the other schools which finished in the top eight at the War Memorial, qualified for the Atlantic Coast Dinghy Championships at Eckerd College in two weeks.

Next weekend, the Washington College sailing team will compete at the MAISA Fall Women's Championships, hosted by Hobart/William Smith.