September 16, 2007
#14 WC Wins Ocean County Open
Washington Also 4th at NY Maritime, 13th at Nevins Trophy

CHESTERTOWN, MD -- The 14th-ranked Washington College sailing team finished first of 16 teams at the Ocean County Fall Open this weekend. Washington also finished fourth of 20 teams at the New York Maritime Open and 13th of 20 teams at the Nevins Trophy, hosted by Merchant Marine.

At the Ocean County Fall Open, sophomore skipper Conner Blouin (Tampa, FL/Jesuit) and freshman crew James Shepherd (Chicago, IL/Lincoln Park) won A Division, while sophomore skipper Patrick Clancy (Scituate, MA/Boston College HS) and senior crew Alexandria Starks (Toms River, NJ/Monsignor Donovan) placed third in B Division. Blouin and Shepherd finished in the top four in 12 of the 14 A Division races, winning five of them. They won A Division by 18 points, helping Washington win the regatta by 24 points overall. Clancy and Starks finished in the top five in 10 of the 14 B Division races.

Top-ranked St. Mary's was second at the Ocean County Fall Open, followed by 18th-ranked Pennsylvania in third. Winds on Saturday were out of the north-northwest at 10-20 knots, while Sunday saw a northeast breeze of 10 knots that held steady throughout the day.

At the New York Maritime Open, junior skipper Nicholas Larmore (Wilmette, IL/New Trier) and sophomore crew Genevieve Smith (Hampstead, MD/North Carroll) finished seventh in A Division, while junior skipper Derek Packard (Excelsior, MN/Breck) and senior crew Meredith Dodd (Pittsburgh, PA/Upper St. Clair) placed third in B Division.

Ninth-ranked Hobart/William Smith won the New York Maritime Open, followed by top-ranked St. Mary's in second and New York Maritime in third. Saturday's winds were north-northwest at 10-20 knots and building throughout the day. Sunday saw a northeast breeze at 10 knots which died by noon.

At the Nevins Trophy, senior skipper Alex Hood (Newport, RI/Portsmouth Abbey) sailed with senior crew Shrijana Puri (Bethesda, MD/Bethesda-Chevy Chase) and freshman crew Caroline Hill (Tiverton, RI/Bishop Stang, MA) to finish 11th in A Division. Senior skipper Parker Mitchell (Malibu, CA/Malibu) and sophomore crew Krista Hankins (Bridgeton, NJ/Cumberland Regional) were 12th in B Division, while senior Chase Hillyer (Summit, NJ/Morristown-Beard) placed 13th in C Division.

Top-ranked St. Mary's won the Nevins Trophy, followed by eighth-ranked Georgetown in second and fifth-ranked Harvard in third. Saturday's winds were from the northwest at 10-20 knots and building throughout the day. Sunday started with a 12-14 knot breeze from the northwest that calmed throughout the day before dying at 1:00 p.m.

Next weekend, the Washington College sailing team will compete at the North Fall #1, hosted by New York Maritime; the Laser Qualifier South, hosted by Navy; and the Senator's Cup, hosted by St. Mary's.