WASHINGTON – The Georgetown University sailing team opened up the 2018-19 season last weekend, competing in three different regattas and finished among top two in two of the three events. GU finished third at the ICSA Gill Coed National Championship last spring and the team returns a strong group of sailors for what should be an exciting season as the program aims for its 15th national title.
 
Riley Cup (Sept. 8-9, Norfolk, Va.)
The Hoyas dominated at the Riley Cup, finishing first in both divisions. The races were postponed until noon on Saturday due to rain but subsided eventually to allow the races to commence. In the A Division, Georgetown managed four out of six wins, with the other two races resulting in second place. The B Division saw similar results and tallied five out of six wins. Jack Reiter (Point Loma, Calif. / Point Loma) made his sailing debut at the collegiate level in this regatta.
Results (top 5 of 17): 1. Georgetown (18); 2. George Washington (42); 3. Navy (47); 4. Georgetown (70); 5. St. Mary's (75)
Georgetown Lineup
A Division (1st of 17; 8 points): Andy Reiter w/ Claire Mohun
A Division (8th of 17; 45 points): Noah Kelleher w/ Juliana Rustum                                                                                   
B Division (1st of 17; 10 points): Jack Reiter w/ Gwyneth Dunlevy
B Division (4th of 17; 25 points): Macey McCann w/ Jack Hogan)
 
Laser South Qualifier (Sept. 8-9, Annapolis, Md.)
Three Hoya sailors traveled to the Laser South Qualifier at the Naval Academy to compete against eight other Mid-Atlantic schools. Over the course of two days, 12 races were sailed. Saturday and Sunday both resulted in a downpour with 25 miles per hour winds on Sunday. The regatta featured the college debuts for two of the sailors. Freshman Ford McCann (Houston, Texas / Episcopal) was neck and neck with St. Mary's Leo Boucher as it came down to the final two races to determine first place. Boucher came out on top by two points and McCann finished second with 29 points. The freshman won five of the 12 races in his first regatta at the collegiate level.
Georgetown Lineup: Ford McCann (2nd of 20; 29 points); John Patrick Panarella (11th of 20; 142 points); Preston Tso (18th of 20; 198 points)
 
Navy Women's Regatta (Sept. 8-9, Annapolis, Md.)
At the Navy Women's Regatta, eight sailors competed in the 18-boat regatta while both days brought cloudy skies and consistent rain. Of the eight, half of them made their collegiate debuts for Georgetown. Sophomore Victoria Davis (Marco Island, Fla. / Seacrest Country Day School) (1-7), sophomore Marley Mais (Newport Beach, Calif. / Newport) (8-12) and senior Hannah Hess (Inverness, Ill. / Loyola Academy) finished eighth overall and landed in the top 10 in seven of the 12 races.
Results (top 5 of 18): 1. Penn (49); 2. George Washington (56); 3. St. Mary's (67); 4. George Washington (69); 5. Old Dominion (70); 8. Georgetown (99)
Georgetown Lineup
A Division (8th of 18; 99 points): Victoria Davis (1-7) / Marley Mais (8-12) w/ Hannah Hess (1-7)
A Division (12th of 18; 123 points): Morgan Sailer w/ Annabelle Ayer (1-9) and Victoria Boatwright (10-12)
A Division (13th of 18; 125 points): Riley Kloc w/ Olivia van den Born
 
The Blue & Gray will compete this weekend, Sept. 15-16, in the MAISA Laser Qualifier and the Faye Bennet, both in Annapolis, Maryland, and Chesapeake Invite in St. Mary's City, Maryland.