October 7, 2007
#14 WC Finishes 2nd at H/WS Fall Intersectional
Washington Also 16th at Navy Fall Women's Intersectional

CHESTERTOWN, MD -- The 14th-ranked Washington College sailing team finished second of 18 schools overall at the Hobart/William Smith Fall Intersectional this weekend. Sophomore skipper Conner Blouin (Tampa, FL/Jesuit) and senior crew Shrijana Puri (Bethesda, MD/Bethesda-Chevy Chase) won A Division at the regatta, marking the first first-place divisional finish at an intersectional collegiate regattas for both of those sailors. Washington also finished 16th of 17 schools at the Navy Fall Women's Intersectional this weekend.

Blouin and Puri finished in the top five in all eight A Division races at the Hobart/William Smith Fall Intersectional, winning the fourth and fifth races. They won the division by five points over Hobart/William Smith. Sophomore skipper Patrick Clancy (Scituate, MA/Boston College HS) and freshman crew James Shepherd (Chicago, IL/Lincoln Park) were second in B Division - eight points behind Hobart/William Smith. They won four B Division races.

Washington's second-place finish overall marked the second consecutive year WC has placed second at the Hobart/William Smith Fall Intersectional. Host and seventh-ranked Hobart/William Smith won the regatta with 46 points to Washington's 49. Top-ranked St. Mary's was a distant third with 68 points.

Saturday's races at the Hobart/William Smith Fall Intersectional started with a breeze from the south at 12-14 knots. After a short delay due to the threat of thunderstorms, a light breeze from the northwest filled in to allow for the day's races to finish. Sunday started off with a light 5-7 knot breeze hailing from the north. Around 2:30 p.m., a shifty north to northwest to west breeze challenged the completion of sailing. The regatta was called at 3:30 p.m.

At the Navy Fall Women's Intersectional, senior skipper Meredith Dodd (Pittsburgh, PA/Upper St. Clair) and sophomore crew Krista Hankins (Bridgeton, NJ/Cumberland Regional) were 15th in A Division. Senior skipper Alexandria Starks (Toms River, NJ/Monsignor Donovan) and freshman crew Caroline Hill (Tiverton, RI/Bishop Stang, MA) placed 17th in B Division, while freshman Danielle Bellezza (Parkesburg, PA/Sanford School, DE) was 16th in C Division.

Eighth-ranked Navy won the Navy Fall Women's, followed by top-ranked St. Mary's in second and fifth-ranked Charleston in third. Saturday's races were sailed in 5-10 knot breeze from the southeast and southwest. One race was completed in each division on Sunday before the light northwest breeze died. The regatta was called at 2:30 p.m.

Next weekend, the Washington College sailing team will host the Washington College Open and compete at the Navy Fall Intersectional.