June 2, 2012

SPERRY TOP-SIDER/ICSA WOMEN'S NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP DAY THREE
Austin, Texas (June 1, 2012) - The Sperry Top-Sider/ICSA Women'sNational Championship continued today in Austin, Texas on Lake Travisco-sponsored by the University of Texas Sailing Team and the AustinYacht Club. Eighteen collegiate teams from across the nation are vyingfor the national title, the Gerald C. Miller Trophy, awarded to thewinning team.
Racing got underway around 10 a.m. in 5-6 knots of breeze from thenortheast. Temperatures were in the high seventies to start the day.B-division hit the water first for races 3B and 4B. The sailors raceon a windward/leeward course four times around, a W4, which has adownwind finish.
Racing was postponed after race 3B due to a lack of wind. The sailorswere eventually sent in to shore to wait for the breeze and takeshelter from the sun and heat. It became a waiting game and thecompetitors did not head back out on the water until around 3 p.m.after a four-hour postponement.
Race 4B had a general recall, but the second start was all clear. Thewind filled in to about 7-10 knots from the southeast. Conditionscontinued to be shifty, but the breeze stayed steady and BostonCollege won the race with a nice lead over the University of Michigan,Yale University and Georgetown University.
Light winds prevailed the rest of the day, 6-10 knots from asoutheasterly direction and the temperature was in the high 80s.Staying in velocity and in phase on the racecourse was the name of thegame as shifts continued to roll down the course, much like they didduring yesterday's racing.
"The shifts were not typical oscillating shifts, but were persistentand big, sometimes lasting an entire leg," Mike Callahan, head coachof Georgetown University says. This makes it tricky for the sailors todetermine which shifts to commit to, not always knowing if it willlast for a short amount of time or for a large portion of the racecourse. Callahan says at one point his sailors decided not to giveinto a right shift and ended up going from 12th place to 1st place bystaying left away from the fleet.
Callahan says there was a bit of randomness and craziness on thecourse, which also made the starting line a challenge. He says therace committee is doing the best they can with the conditions they aregiven.
Georgetown's plan today was to sail consistently and stay in the topten, which they managed successfully thanks to Sydney Bolger '12 andRebecca Evans '12 in A-division and Nancy Hagood '14 and Tory Lynch 12in B-division.
Georgetown is currently in second place overall having moved up fromfifth place after yesterday's racing. They are one point behind theleaders, Boston College. Callahan says Georgetown has never won aWomen's National Championship title, the closest they have come was asecond place finish in 2006 and a third place finish in 2005 the lasttime Nationals was held in Austin.
Two races were completed in A-division and four races were completedin B-division today, which means there are many more races to getthrough tomorrow.
The sailors will report again at 8 a.m. with racing set to begin around 9 a.m.CDT. The forecast is for winds out of the south around 8-12 knots andtemperatures hovering around 90 degrees. Tomorrow will be the last day of racing inthe regatta and no race can begin after 5 p.m. The day will culminate in an awardsbanquet scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on the Austin Yacht Club patio.
The top three women's teams will be presented with the Gerald C.Miller Trophy (1st place), the New England Women's Trophy (2nd place) and the AnnCampbell Trophy (3rd place). The Quantum Women's College Sailor of the Year will also be awarded to a female sailor who has consistently performed at the highestcompetitive level in the2011-2012 seasons. The ICSA Women's All-American Team will also be announced.
For full results and regatta information visit the event website:http://2012nationals.collegesailing.org/
Top Nine Teams - Day 31. Boston College, 592.Georgetown University, 603. Yale University, 694. University of Rhode Island, 765. Connecticut College, 856. Harvard University, 887. College of Charleston, 898. U.S. Naval Academy, 1069. Stanford University, 111