The winning duo of Becca Dellenbaugh '10 and Rachel Moncton '12, which has proven its worth among strong competition, and rookie Chandler Salisbury '13, led the Dartmouth women's sailing team to a seventh overall finish at the St. Mary's Women's Intersectional. The race took place at St. Mary's City, Md., on March 22.
Dellenbaugh and Moncton overcame problematic weather conditions to finish fourth overall in the A division.
"It was a bit difficult to sail with the light breeze," Moncton said. "We also had to sit around, and even though it was a beautiful day outside, we had to stay focused. In that regard, I think our team coped really well."
Both named New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association Sailors of the Week back in October, Dellenbaugh and Moncton conjured up the same chemistry to lead the Big Green over spring break.
"I think our chemistry definitely helps us," said Moncton, who has been sailing with Dellenbaugh since the Fall season. "When we got on the boat, we started clicking and the familiarity came back."
Moncton said that even though the two had only practiced together for two hours before the regatta, it did not hinder the performance.
"[Dellenbaugh] understands my strengths and weaknesses, and vice versa," Moncton said. "Knowing each other's quirks obviously helps us when we're out there sailing together."
Dartmouth was the top Ivy League finisher, beating out Yale University, Brown University and Harvard University.
The College of Charleston and St. Mary's College of Maryland finished first and second, respectively, while Georgetown University came in third.
"It was really good to compete against southern schools that we really don't face during the season," Moncton said. "Some of the schools there had practiced for nearly a month, and we had only practiced for about a day, so we're pretty pleased with our outcome."
Salisbury, who made an inspiring collegiate debut, and Stephanie Gagnon '10 finished sixth in the B division.
"We're pretty psyched about [Salisbury]," Moncton said. "She had a great fall and her experience is paying off now."
Along with Salisbury, both the women's and co-ed team gained a lot of experience during the spring break trip to Virginia, sailing at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va.
"We had practices twice a day during the break," Moncton said. "It was a really productive break. I believe the whole team got a lot out of it, considering we had ten days to just focus on sailing."
The women's team will look to use this past regatta as a stepping stone for the rest of the season, which the team expects to be very successful.
"I hope we have a strong season it definitely looks like we have the chance to have one," Moncton said. "Things are coming together for us as a team, which was achieved through a lot of hard work and improvement."
Moncton said the team is hoping to gain momentum throughout the first two months of the Spring season. A strong showing at NEISA Women's Championship, which will take place in late April, is critical for the team to qualify for nationals in May.
"We're gearing up for the NEISA championship and nationals," Moncton said. "For the women's team, making it to nationals is a huge goal for us because we believe we have what it takes to get there and perform well."
