Co-Ed Sailing Qualifies For Nationals

The Harvard co-ed sailing team qualified for nationals this weekend with a fourth place finish at the New England Dinghy Championships at University of Rhode Island.

Just as the women's sailing team qualified for its national championship last weekend by beating out MIT by one point, the co-ed team did not leave any margin for error. The top four teams advanced to the Intercollegiate Yacht Racing Association Dinghy Championships June 2-4 in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Tufts won, followed by B.U., Dartmouth, Harvard, Connecticut College and MIT. The Crimson beat Connecticut College by 13 points.

The day came down to the last race, with Harvard hoping to hold on to a 13 point lead.

In the A division race, seniors Peter Strothman and Becky Rosen played it safe to make sure Connecticut College could not cut significantly into the lead.

"Our strategy was to make it easier for [captain Christian] Taubman and [senior Brian] Fox," Strothman said. "We knew didn't have to beat them, we just couldn't let them beat us by a lot."

"We finished 10th and played very conservative, just tailing them around the race course so we finished directly behind them," he added.

Given a 12-point cushion, Taubman and Fox did not disappoint.

"I think Pete and Becky had opened up a bit of a lead on the other two boats, so they gave us a little of a cushion coming into the last race," Fox said. "But it was tough, there was a really light breeze, and it was very stressful."

But Taubman and Fox actually beat the Connecticut College by a place, pushing the pad back out to 13.

"This is what it all comes down to," Taubman said. "We sail other regattas, but nationals is nationals, it's why you do it. "This weekend is the one that determines whether you go or not. Everything else is practice for this one."