Rough Conditions Stump Crimson

With spring break nearing a close, the Harvard sailing team took to the water this past weekend, looking to return to campus with two more solid regattas under its belt. Although the Crimson was unable to claim victory in either regatta, both the co-ed and the women’s squads finished in the middle of the pack in what proved to be a deep and competitive field.

The co-ed squad came out of the third event of its spring season with a ninth-place finish, while the women’s team also recorded a ninth-place finish of its own.

“We’ve had two pretty stacked competitions so far this past weekend and the previous one,” sophomore crew Alma Lafler said. “The first weekend went very well, and even though we didn’t win the regatta, we did well against [first-ranked] Boston College. We wanted to bring that to the races this past weekend.”

Despite a mediocre finish, the team says it gained valuable experience over the weekend.

“Our season really just started this spring break,” junior Emily Lambert said. “Being able to practice in proper sailing conditions for the first time really helped us get started for the rest of the season.”

TRUXTUN UMSTED TROPHY

After two very strong showings to start its spring season, the co-ed team entered the 64th Truxtun Umsted Trophy Regatta as the seventh-ranked team in the nation. With a first-place finish at the Sharpe Trophy Team Race and a third-place finish at the 18th St. Mary’s Team Race, Harvard’s top co-ed sailors traveled down to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., this past weekend hoping to continue its trend of success.

The Crimson was unable to grab the win, as it faced stiff competition in the field of 19 teams, finishing in ninth place with a total of 646 points, only two points behind eighth-place Stanford.

The third-ranked College of Charleston team took the lead after the first day of racing and did not relinquish it, taking the victory with 386 points.

The regatta was divided into two parts—the A- and B-divisions raced in double-handed boats, while the C- and D-divisions were single-handed.

Harvard sent out senior Alan Palmer to skipper all 17 races in Division A, and seniors John Stokes, Meghan Wareham, and Quincy Bock as well as freshman Luke O’Connor shared crew duties. The combined effort from the five members of the co-ed squad gave the Crimson an eighth-place finish.

The team took home a tenth-place finish in the B-division. Stokes and junior Brendan Kopp shared duties as skipper, and Wareham, O’Connor, Lafler, and—when he was not skippering—Stokes handled the crew responsibilities.

Senior Tedd Himler and sophomore Jason Michas represented Harvard in the C-division and D-division, respectively, in the individual sailing portion of the regatta.

Himler finished in eighth, a team-high for the regatta, and Michas captured 12th in his division for the Crimson.

“This past weekend was hard for us,” Lafler said. “We didn’t have prime conditions weather-wise, and being a smaller team, it was harder for us in the weather that was windier than we’re used to with more waves. We were demoralized after the first day, which continued on the second day. But looking up from here on out, we have five great seniors to lead us to better results, and we will bounce back.”

ST. MARY’S WOMEN’S INTERSECTIONAL

The 13th-ranked Harvard women’s squad competed at the St. Mary’s Women’s Intersectional a week after the co-ed squad captured a third-place finish at the team race at the St. Mary’s Team Race. But the women’s contingent couldn’t repeat its performance from a week prior, and matched the co-ed team with a ninth-place finish.

Sailors from Yale took home top honors.

“We had some ups and downs as a team this past weekend,” Lambert said. “Sunday was full of tricky sailing, and we struggled a bit, but we pulled through.”

The A-division of racing saw the Crimson send out Lambert and fellow junior Alexandra Jumper, a duo that once again proved to be a dominant force on the water. The two finished in the top seven in 13-of-14 races, with three first-place finishes, and they earned first-place overall in the A-division.

The freshman trio of Morgan Russom, Isabel Ruane, and Caitlin Watson took home 14th out of the field of 18 with a score of 163, sailing against some of the toughest competition that the squad has faced yet this season.

“The team, especially the freshmen, gained a lot of experience sailing at this last regatta,” Lambert said. “The conditions weren’t all that great, and we were using fluky boats that we haven’t sailed in since last season. They have a ton of potential, and it will show as the season goes on.”

—Staff writer Ricky Liu can be reached at rliu@fas.harvard.edu.