The Dartmouth sailors picked up mid-fleet finishes in all the regattas over the weekend as Big Green sailors took 11th place at the Erwin Schell Trophy, hosted by Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The women's squad finished in ninth place at the nearby Victorian Coffee Urn regatta, hosted by Harvard.
The freshmen skippers also performed modestly this past weekend, placing eighth at the Nickerson Trophy -- the New England Interscholastic Sailing Association Freshman Championships. The event was hosted by the Massachusetts Maritime Acadamy.
On the Charles River, Anne Megargel '09 and Sam Williams '12 finished the Division A race in 12th place out of a field of 18 teams. Ed Jude Glackin '11 and Sarah Freihofer '10 fared slightly better in the Division B race, taking 11th place.
Overall Dartmouth took 11th place while Harvard stole the top mark away from MIT by just one point. Ivy League rivals Brown and Yale both finished ahead of the Big Green as well, taking fifth and eighth, respectively.
Many regard the Erwin Schell Trophy as the unofficial New England Championships for collegiate sailing, and the Big Green was happy overall with its performance.
"I think it was the coed team's most solid performance yet of the fall," Freihofer said.
The traditionally harsh venue at the Charles River hindered the Big Green sailors, as the shifting gusts made it challenging to sail to consistent finishes.
"I think our team did very well dealing with the difficult conditions and keeping optimistic," Freihofer said. "And that's why we found ourselves finishing top five in many more races than we ever had in major intersectionals this fall."
Harvard, Tufts University and Boston University collected the remaining berths at the Atlantic Coast Championships, hosted by Eckerd College in two weeks, joining MIT, Boston College, Roger Williams University, Brown and Connecticut College.
"Even though we did not qualify for ACCs we are very optimistic about competing in the [Atlantic Coast Tournament] coming up," Freihofer said.
Hosted by Boston University in two weeks, the Atlantic Coast Tournament regatta will be sailed in the familiar FJs, the same class of boat that the Big Green practices in.
"As a team, our best races were definitely in the FJs, which is promising news for the ACTs," Freihofer said.
Also on the Charles River, Kendall Reiley '09 and Kathy Oprea '10 placed last among the 17 entries in Division A, but Becca Dellenbaugh '10 and Sarah Johnston'09 lifted the team, finishing just one point shy of first place in Division B.
"Becca and Sarah did a really good job this weekend in tricky conditions on the Charles River," Reiley said. "Division A struggled in the shifty breeze, and while we're disappointed in how we did, we're now looking forward to putting all the pieces together in two weeks at the Atlantic Coast Champs."
The team's strong performance in Division B secured a 9th-place finish for the Big Green team. Harvard emerged victorious, beating out Yale by 13 points.
On Buzzard's Bay, newcomers Bernie Roesler '12 and Rachel Moncton '12 placed seventh in the Division A circuit featuring 15 boats, while Tim Scanlon '12 and Lillian Wilson '12 slotted eleventh in Division B.
The combined efforts brought the team to an eighth-place finish overall, while Connecticut College earned top honors in the regatta, 10 points ahead of Boston College.
The ranking earned the team a trip to the Freshman Atlantic Coast Championships next weekend.
Other Big Green sailors will take to the water over the weekend with regattas at Salve Regina University, Harvard and MIT.
