Harvard Keeps Up Early Success

The Harvard sailing team had another outstanding showing this past weekend, claiming strong finishes in both individual and team regattas.

In the Hood Trophy in nearby Medford, Mass., the Crimson finished fourth overall, rallying on Sunday to climb four spots in the rankings.

Individually, women’s captain Megan Watson also received high honors, gaining third place in the New England Women’s Singlehanded Championship in Rhode Island.

HOOD TROPHY

The No. 6 co-eds fought to a tight finish at the Hood Trophy at Tufts this weekend, managing a fourth-place finish. The Crimson, which gained a total of 286 points over the two-day contest, was just one point better than fifth-place British USA, and two points in front of Penn in sixth.

Harvard, which ended its first day of the regatta in eighth place, used a key performance from freshman skipper Teddy Himler and freshman crew Grace Charles in B-division to boost the Crimson in the overall rankings.

“[They] had a really fantastic Sunday afternoon,” senior captain Kyle Kovacs said. “They’re the main reason we rallied to end up fourth.”

Kovacs competed as skipper in A-division with senior crew Elyse Dolbec, and sophomore skipper Drew Robb and junior crew Lauren Brants completed Harvard’s weekend lineup.

Although the temperature proved to be more than hospitable for the Crimson on the small Medford lake, inconsistent wind conditions added difficulty to the races.

“It was a little bit of everything,” Brants said of the weather.

Lucky for the Crimson, the team was able to overcome those difficulties and come together to end the weekend with a top finish.

NEW ENGLAND WOMEN’S SINGLEHANDED CHAMPIONSHIP

The weekend was smooth sailing for Watson, as the junior placed third in the New England Women’s Singlehanded Championship at Roger Williams University. The performance qualified her for the Women’s Singlehanded Nationals, set to take place in November.

“It’s very exciting for our team as a whole because it means that we’ll be represented at the Singlehanded Nationals,” Watson said.

The New England Women’s Singlehanded Championship, which was held in Bristol, R.I., was a series of individual races, though Watson still gives her team credit in her success.

“That result reflects a lot of the training we’ve been doing as a team,” Waston said. “It’s an individual result, but it’s the result of a team effort.”

Also representing the Crimson in the contest was junior Roberta Steele, who ended the regatta in 11th place, after fighting through a weekend of tough conditions. Over 20 boats were sailing on the lake at one time, providing for an over-crowded and unforgiving atmosphere.

“Mistakes were punished pretty harshly,” Watson said.

Watson and the rest of the Harvard sailing team will take place in a combined four regattas next weekend, including the Crimson’s own invitational on Sunday.

—Staff writer Alexandra J. Mihalek can be reached at amihalek@fas.harvard.edu.