Sailing Wins Priddy Trophy

The sailing teams seized another busy weekend to demonstrate their ability to confront diverse weather conditions and still end up on top, as they finished first, second, and third in three competitive regattas.

In the Priddy Trophy at Dartmouth, first-year standouts Clay Bischoff and Lema Kikuchi took first place in a field of nine teams, beating out Tufts, Yale, MIT, and the home team among others.

"The wind was rather erratic, as both the direction and velocity were always changing," Bischoff said. "After the first couple of races, we realized that it would basically be a duel against Tufts."

Bischoff credits Kikuchi with clinching their victory. "Not only did she keep the boat going fast, she also kept me focused when I became frustrated," she said.

Other members of the coed team traveled to the Coast Guard Academy to compete for the Thompson Trophy, where MIT triumphed over 18 teams and Harvard placed second. Light and variable winds limited races to four in each division on Saturday, but Easter Sunday brought steady northerly winds to round out a close regatta.

Seniors Christian Taubman and Sarah Levin finished fourth in A division and made some clever moves in the last set. Sophomore coed captain Sean Doyle and freshman Michelle Yu finished third in B division.

Also in action was the women's team, which stuck around rainy Boston for the Reed Trophy, a qualifying competition for Women's Nationals in May. Capturing third place out of a large fleet of 17 teams earned a Nationals berth for the Crimson women.

Sophomores Margaret Gill and Susan Bonney finished second in A division, sailing 17 races despite the drizzle.

"The conditions at the Reed were wet, cold, and pretty miserable, but we did very well on Saturday," Bonney said. "By staying focused and consistent on Sunday, our patience with the conditions earned us a berth for nationals."

Senior Lauren Toretta and women's co-captain Alex Beale finished fourth overall in B division.

"The breeze this weekend was typical of the Charles with light and shifty conditions," Beale said. "Hopefully the weather at Nationals will be more pleasant than this weekend was!"

Keep your eye on the sailing teams as they breeze on to Nationals. This Saturday the teams compete at the Northeastern Team Race Championship, the Moody Trophy, and the Regis Bowl.