BRISTOL, R.I. – As the 2008-09 season comes to a close, the Roger Williams University Sailing team is geared up for its final event of the year, with the team's second appearance at the Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA)/Gill Coed Dinghy National Championship.
“We're really looking forward to the trip to California,” said Head Coach Amanda Callahan. “The conditions will be challenging, typically a very breezy, very wavy venue with lots of current but we've been fortunate to have some practice with similar conditions in Mount Hope Bay. After a second-place showing at the New England Championships, I think our chances are great for having another great showing at nationals.”
Making the trip to San Francisco for the Hawks are Matthew Duggan (Sandwich, Mass.), Maria Petrillo (Bristol, R.I.), Sarah Mease (Ocean Gate, N.J.), Kaytlin Hall (Los Angeles, Calif.), Jonathan Enright (Bristol, R.I.), Cy Thompson (St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands), Kelly Gorman (Marblehead, Mass.), and Joshua Saltmarsh (Wayland, Mass.).
“We're obviously all really excited,” said senior co-captain Duggan. “It's going to be very special, for the four seniors who've worked hard towards this goal. We're going to put together everything we worked for all year toward this.”
Duggan, Hall, and Petrillo all return for their second stint at the Coed Dinghy Championship, while the others will make their championship debut. After sailing in B Division last year, Duggan, Petrillo, and Mease will make the transition to A Division, while sailing for the Hawks in B Division this year will be Thompson and Hall, with Enright, Gorman, and Saltmarsh serving as alternates and providing team support.
The team will look to apply the lessons learned from last year's championship towards this year's appearance.
The key thing for us will be dealing with all of the of-the-water elements,” said Duggan. “After making it to the championships last year, managing the excitement off the water will be something that will benefit us from last year.”
Last June, the team traveled down the road to Newport, Rhode Island to take part in its first national championship. After the first day, the Hawks sat in 12th-place after only able to get off two races due to a dying breeze. On the second day, a steady breeze throughout the day made for better racing, as ten races were able to be sailed. As a result, the Hawks greatly improved upon their performance, jumping from 12th to fourth by the day's end. After the third day of racing, the Hawks maintained its position, taking fourth place in the championship.
The road to this season's championship berth began in mid-April at the NEISA Coed Dinghy Championships. Holding a slim two-point lead entering the final race of the regatta, the Hawks were bested by Boston College in the final race, with the Eagles winning the regatta by four points and RWU coming in second. The runner-up finish still secured qualification at the ICSA Coed Dinghy Semifinals in early May.
In front of a crowd of thousands on the Boston waters, the Hawks got strong performances by Duggan and Petrillo in A Division, coming in sixth with top-seven finishes in six of the eight races. In B Division, Thompson and Hall claimed second place in B Division after finishing in the top-three in four races with two wins. In the end, the Hawks took fifth place and punched their ticket to the ICSA Coed Dinghy National Championship.
The team flies out to California Saturday, with the championship beginning Monday, June 1 in San Francisco at 9:00 a.m. Fans can watch the action live at www.sailgroove.org or send their support at www.collegesailing.org.
