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The Dartmouth
March 29, 2024 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

Sailing gears up for nationals with Coast Guard regatta

Dartmouth sailing placed third at the USCGA Alumni Bowl this weekend
Dartmouth sailing placed third at the USCGA Alumni Bowl this weekend

Dartmouth placed third overall with 164 points, behind Harvard's 139 points and the regatta winner Boston College, with 127 points.

"We could have sailed better, but the conditions were pretty tough, and the important thing was that we qualified," Anne Megargel '09 said. "Now we just have to work hard in practice for these two weeks leading up to nationals."

One highlight of the weekend came when the All-New England teams were announced. Skippers Erik Storck '07 and Andrew Loe '06 earned regional honors, along with the first-team crews of Killarney Loufek '07 and Kate Hacker '07. Betsy Bryant '08 was named second team All-New England crew.

Loufek also received the prestigious Babineau Trophy as the best crew in New England for the second year in a row.

To cap off the successful weekend, Storck and Loufek were named New England coed sailors of the week by the New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association.

They were honored for their performance in the Fowle Trophy two weekends ago, when they spearheaded an effort to qualify for team nationals.

"Of course I am thrilled to have been given this honor, but I don't want to dwell on it too much," Storck said. "We have nationals coming up, and I want to make sure my focus stays on success in the upcoming weeks."

What makes the victory at Coast Guard more impressive is the tough conditions in which the sailors had to compete. With a shifting breeze on the Thames River that ranged anywhere from three to 12 knots, Dartmouth made use of its stronger wind crews.

In the A division, skipper Storck and crews of Loufek and Megargel sailed into the ninth spot, ahead of Boston University but behind first-place Brown. Yale, Roger Williams, University of Rhode Island, Tufts, MIT and Coast Guard rounded out the top ten.

Skipper Loe and crews of Bryan and Matt Cohen '10 were able to place third in the B division, behind Harvard and BC.

Captain James Attridge '07 believed the team was able to keep its focus in the Coast Guard regatta despite notable accomplishments from the previous weeks.

"This weekend was a great sign," Attridge said. "We didn't have a let down after qualifying for nationals last week. As a team we are really gearing up for this upcoming run of important regattas. Everyone is real excited about these upcoming weeks and for our successful finishes in these past few regattas."

With all three national events upcoming, the team is poised and ready to make a run and stake a claim as one of the top sailing programs in the nation.

The Intercollegiate Sailing Association women's nationals will be from Wednesday, May 23 to Friday, May 25, at Old Dominion in Norfolk, Va. The ICSA team race nationals will be from Sunday, May 27, to Tuesday, May 29, and the ICSA dingy nationals will be from Wednesday, May 30 to Friday, June 1. Both the team races and dingy competitions will be be hosted by the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.