Harvard Picks up Victory at Regatta

Looking to prove that it has what it takes to be one of the country’s top teams, the Harvard sailing team entered the third week of its fall schedule still searching for its first top finish. The practice that the sailors put in the last couple of weeks paid off, as the Crimson finally grabbed its first regatta win of the season.

The co-ed squad claimed first place overall at the Professor Steadman Hood Trophy intersectional regatta, hosted by Tufts.

Harvard also sent out a contingent from the women’s squad to compete at the Women’s Regis Bowl at nearby Boston University, where the Crimson finished in 13th place on the weekend.

“It was a good first win of the season for us,” co-captain Brendan Kopp said. “We know that we’re always going to be competing in competitive regattas, but we’re always aiming to be in the top five, or even [among] the top three schools out there. It’s nice to win an event, but our goal for each regatta is to be consistently at the top.”

STEADMAN HOOD TROPHY

Facing weather conditions that limited each of the two divisions to just four races—and preventing the B-division from completing any races on Sunday—the Harvard co-ed squad put together a dominant performance to claim its first overall victory this season after coming in ninth place last weekend.

“We like to say that the weather at Mystic Lake is always ‘mystical,’” Kopp joked. “Lucky for us, I’ve sailed here a couple times before, and [sophomore] Sarah [Pierson] has too. It’s nice to be in the lead in these events, especially when we can’t finish the regatta because of weather.”

Despite the lack of wind on the water, Kopp and Pierson cruised to first place in the A-Division with a pair of first- and second-place finishes, good for a season-low six points, 22 points ahead of second-place Washington College.

Not to be outdone, the B-division pair of seniors Emily Lambert and Alex Jumper also placed near the top of the regatta, coming in fourth place out of the 21-team field.

The duo sailed to one second-place finish out of its four races, racking up 25 points.

“All of the practice definitely paid off,” Kopp said. “We’re racing in boats that we weren’t used to coming into the season, but now we’re comfortable with them and with each other, and that’s been a key to our success.”

WOMEN’S REGIS BOWL

The weather was not much better on the Charles River, as the 16 teams had to contend with fluky and unpredictable breezes all throughout the weekend of racing. Overall, the young Crimson women’s squad finished in 13th place on the weekend.

“There is a lot of pressure on our women’s team this year,” Kopp said, “especially since Alex [Jumper] and Emily [Lambert], their A-division combo that did so well last year, are now racing for the co-ed squad.”

Competing for the first time in A-Division this season, sophomore Caitlin Watson and senior Caroline Lowe finished the weekend with 64 points, good for ninth place.

“We have some big shoes to fill with Emily and Alex now competing with the co-eds,” Watson said. “But we’re up to the challenge, and we’re always ready to race and do our best against the rest.”

In the B-division, sophomore Isabel Ruane competed for the first time with freshman Kendra Norton. The duo combined for 87 points to claim 13th place in its division.

With the first month of sailing down in the books, Harvard is once again showing why it has one of the top sailing programs in the nation.

The co-ed squad is currently ranked third in the country only behind Ivy League rival Yale and annual powerhouse Boston College. The women’s team, after trading the talents of Jumper and Lambert to the co-eds, is still in the top ten, ranked eighth in the nation.

“We’ve still got the rest of the season to look forward to, so we’re not going to settle for just one regatta win,” Kopp said. “We know we’re one of the best, and we prove it week in week out. All that’s left for us to do is to keep doing what we’re doing: winning.”

—Staff writer Ricky Liu can be reached at ricky.liu12@college.harvard.edu.