Sept. 22, 2011

WASHINGTON -

Georgetown sailors past and present competed in the 2011 Rolex International Keelboat Championships held at the Rochester Yacht Club in Rochester, N.Y., ending on September 1. Hoya alums and current student-athletes were on several of the 36 boats in the fleet, and fared well in some trying conditions on Lake Ontario.

Jacqueline Schmitz Campbell (SFS '06) was on board with 2008 Olympian Sally Barkow as well as former Georgetown Assistant Coach Alana O'Reilly, who coached on the Hilltop for four years (2007-11) and is a product of the College of Charleston.

"We started the week off with one day of no wind, waves left over from Hurricane Irene, and no racing," Campbell said. "When we did get some racing in starting on Day two, we kept ourselves in the top three through the remainder of the week. It all came down to the last day of racing, and the last race actually, since Cory Sertyl, Anna Tunnicliffe and our team all had the potential to win. The racing was close."

Racing at the premier women's event was close and competitive throughout the four-day event. The top three places were still up for grabs going into the last race of the regatta. Barkow, Campbell, O'Reilly and Lush placed third overall after a protest, and subsequent disqualification. The same penalty gave Sertl's crew its third win at this prestigious event. Anna Tunnicliffe, the 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist in the laser radial, finished second after sailing consistently over the 11 races.

Current Hoya Merritt Moran (C '14), was also in the fleet with her mother Amy Moran, and former team captain Bridget Creney Wiatrowski (C `96). Merritt, a Rochester local, was on board with several young women and finished an impressive eighth, while her mother sailed with regatta winner Cory Sertl. Wiatrowski was 16th in the field that included multiple former event winners, Olympic sailors, and college All-Americans.

The competition was awesome," explained Merritt Moran. "(The event) provides a unique opportunity for teams like mine, and other college sailors, to compete against Olympians.