August 31, 2009
WC Sailors to Open Season Ranked 17th
All-American Blouin Highlights List of Returning Sailors

CHESTERTOWN, MD -- The Sailing World Preseason Co-Ed College Rankings were released today and the Washington College sailing team will begin the fall 2009 season ranked 17th in the nation. Washington is coming off its first-ever appearance at the ICSA Co-Ed Dinghy National Championships.

Washington finished 18th at the 2009 ICSA Co-Ed Dinghy National Championships after an eighth-place finish at one of the two 2009 ICSA Co-Ed Dinghy National Semifinals. The 2008-09 academic year also saw the WC sailing team finish fourth at the America Trophy, the MAISA Spring Co-Ed Dinghy Championships and fifth at the War Memorial, the MAISA Fall Co-Ed Dinghy Championships. In addition, Washington won the St. Francis Yacht Club Intersectional, marking the school's second-ever co-ed intersectional win.

Senior skipper Conner Blouin (Tampa, FL/Jesuit), a 2009 All-America honorable mention, highlights the list of returning sailors for Washington. Blouin's fellow seniors are John MacLellan (Catonsville, MD/Catonsville) and Genevieve Smith (Hampstead, MD/North Carroll). Caroline Hill (Tiverton, RI/Bishop Stang, MA) and Rhiana Wells (Wyomissing, PA/The Hill School) are the team's returning juniors, while Hannah Beekman (Wakefield, RI/South Kingstown), Mildred Conroy (Newton, MA/Tabor Academy), and John Hartz (Orlean, VA/Highland School) return as sophomores.

Josh Putnam, who spent last season as an assistant coach at Eckerd, takes over as head coach of the team this season. Putnam was a collegiate sailor at The Citadel and is an accomplished sailor on the national and international level. He was a member of the United States Sailing Team which competed at the 2007 Pan American Games. Oliver Barnyak, a 2009 Washington College graduate, will serve as Putnam's assistant coach.

Defending ICSA Co-Ed Dinghy National Champion St. Mary's will open the season as the top-ranked co-ed team in the country. Georgetown, Yale, Boston College, and Charleston round out the top five. In addition to Washington, St. Mary's, and Georgetown, four other MAISA schools will begin the season ranked in the top 20 - Navy (tied for seventh), Old Dominion (ninth), Hobart/William Smith (14th), and New York Maritime (tied for 18th).

The Washington College sailing team will open its fall 2009 season September 12th and 13th at several regattas. The top regatta of the weekend for WC will be the Anderson Trophy, a co-ed intersectional hosted by Yale, which Washington won in 2003.

FULL RANKINGS