September 21, 2008
WC 12th at Nevins Trophy, 6th at Ocean County
Blouin/Hankins Tie for First in A Division at Nevins Trophy

CHESTERTOWN, MD -- The Washington College sailing team finished 12th of 20 schools at the Nevins Trophy, a three-division intersectional regatta hosted by Merchant Marine, and sixth of 18 teams at the Ocean County Fall Open this weekend.

The Nevins Trophy consisted of two divisions of dinghy sailing and one division of lasers. Washington excelled in the dinghies as junior skipper Conner Blouin (Tampa, FL/Jesuit) and junior crew Krista Hankins (Bridgeton, NJ/Cumberland Regional) tied for first in A Division, while senior skipper Derek Packard (Excelsior, MN/Breck) and sophomore crew Caroline Hill (Tiverton, RI/Bishop Stang, MA) were fifth in B Division. Blouin and Hankins won three of the nine A Division races, more than any other A Division tandem. Blouin and Hankins, who were first in A Division at the Cornell Fall Open last weekend, picked up their eighth and third career first-place divisional finishes. Sophomore Guy Tawney (Baltimore, MD/St. Paul's School) was 20th in C Division at the Nevins Trophy.

Top-ranked Boston College won the Nevins Trophy, while fourth-ranked St. Mary's was second and second-ranked Roger Williams was third. Fifteen of the current top 20 ranked co-ed teams, including the entire top 10, competed at the regatta and Washington finished ahead of four of them - 11th-ranked Harvard, eighth-ranked Vermont, 15th-ranked Old Dominion, and 17th-ranked Eckerd. Washington's combined points in A and B Divisions were second only to Boston College.

The entirety of the Nevins Trophy was sailed on Saturday in an east-to-north breeze of 3-10 knots. There was no wind for racing on Sunday.

At the Ocean County Fall Open, freshman skipper Mildred Conroy (Newton, MA/Tabor Academy) and junior crew John MacLellan (Catonsville, MD/Catonsville) were 12th in A Division, while freshman skipper Michael Whitford (Chicago, IL/Francis W. Parker School) and junior crew Genevieve Smith (Hampstead, MD/North Carroll) placed second in B Division. Whitford and Smith finished in the top six in 13 of the 15 B Division races, winning four in a row.

Eighteenth-ranked Navy won the Ocean County Fall Open, while Pennsylvania was second and Cornell was third. Saturday's races were held in a northeasterly wind ranging from 8-12 knots. Sunday saw light winds of up to five knots.

Next weekend, the Washington College sailing team is slated to compete at the Laser Qualifier South #2, hosted by Navy; the Senator's Cup, hosted by St. Mary's; the North Fall #1, hosted by Hobart/William Smith; and the Faye Bennet Trophy - the MAISA Women's Singles Championship, hosted by Navy.