Mixed Bag in Weekend Races

The Harvard sailing team hit the waves again this weekend, but continued its recent trend of inconsistency in placing second, sixth, 10th, and 13th in four regattas.

The Crimson’s top two sailors—seniors Kyle Kovacs and Elyse Dolbec—had the week off, and prior to the weekend slate, Harvard saw itself slip in the national polls: the Crimson co-eds dropped from fifth to seventh in the country and the women dropped from fourth to eighth.

“We haven’t been sailing as well as we can,” sophomore Liz Powers said. “I don’t think our scores have reflected our ability lately.”

STU NELSON REGATTA

The women’s team traveled to Storrs, Conn., for the Stu Nelson Regatta on Saturday and Sunday. Flat water and shifty conditions marked the 18-team event but did not prevent the Crimson from taking sixth place overall.

The B-division stole the spotlight from the A-division sailors, as junior crew Lauren Brants teamed with skipper Powers on Saturday and junior skipper Roberta Steele on Sunday. Collectively, they qualified for fourth place with 56 points, due in large part to winning two of the last three races.

“We were very up and down,” Powers said. “I placed between first and 10th, and I think Roberta placed between first and 12th.”

Junior skipper Megan Watson and freshman crew Meghan Wareham anchored the A-division, earning 96 points to place 10th. Rhode Island (113 points), Yale (118 points), Navy (133 points), Stanford (147 points), and MIT (150 points) all finished ahead of Harvard.

CENTRAL SERIES THREE

The co-eds competed in Boston College’s Central Series Three this weekend. The meet attracted 10 teams for 10 races on Dorchester Bay.

The host Eagles dominated the event, finishing 63 points ahead of second place Vermont, and 202 points ahead of Harvard.

Nonetheless, the regatta provided valuable experience for a pair of freshman. Crew Colin Santangelo sailed with junior skipper James Fish in A-division, and skipper Matt Donelan sailed with junior crew Michelle Konstadt in B-division. The A-division team’s 14th place (132 points) and B-division’s 12th place (112 points) finishes earned the Crimson 10th place overall.

OBERG TROPHY

Harvard’s best showing came Saturday and Sunday at the Oberg Trophy, a 17-team race hosted by Northeastern and MIT.

The Crimson fared well in all three divisions at the 17-race regatta, taking second overall. Junior skipper John Garrity and junior crew Kerry Anne Bradford continued their success from last weekend in representing A-division, as the pair scored 121 points to earn fourth place in a highly competitive field.

The B-division team performed equally well behind sophomore skipper Drew Robb and freshman crew Grace Charles, who notched 100 points to place third in their division.

In C-division, a fourth place finish, courtesy of freshman skipper John Stokes and sophomore crew Alex Bick, ultimately carried Harvard (327 points) into second place overall behind national No. 1 Boston College (251 points). Brown (332 points), the Coast Guard Academy (337 points), and Connecticut College (349 points) rounded out the top five.

SHERMAN HOYT TROPHY

Teams from 18 schools convened in Providence, RI., for the 10-race Sherman Hoyt Trophy. A top-three finish at the event, hosted by Brown on Saturday and Sunday, would have earned Harvard a spot at the Atlantic Coast Championship, the fall championship for college sailing. Unfortunately, the Crimson faltered and placed well below the requisite third-place.

A pair of freshmen represented A-division. Skipper Teddy Himler and crew Quincy Bock faced a tough time on the water; they accumulated 132 points and came in 17th in their division. The B-division duo performed slightly better as freshman skipper Alan Palmer and sophomore crew Michelle Konstadt finished in seventh place with 83 points.

Ultimately, Harvard came in 13th. Boston College, Brown, and Hobart and William Smith College took the coveted top three spots by notching 83, 115, and 144 points respectively.

“I think we’re still doing really well,” Powers said. “[Next weekend] we are hosting a regatta. It will help us having home-court advantage.”