MADISON, Wisc. – The Roger Williams University Sailing team emerged from the 2010 ICSA Gill Coed Dinghy National Championship with a 13th-place finish in its third straight appearance at the championships.
The regatta was spread out over the course of three days, beginning on Tuesday, June 1. The Hawks flew out to Wisconsin Monday to prepare for the event, hosted by the University of Wisconsin.
At the ICSA/Gill National Championship each of the 18 schools entered - after qualifying via one of two semi-final events held in early May - fields a separate A and B division team. Weather permitting, each division sails 20- to 30-minute fleet races in rotation and a team's final score is determined by the combined results of its sailors in both divisions.
Day one saw Roger Williams hit the waters of Lake Mendota, where minimal breeze halted racing for the first two events before the wind picked up, allowing for six races on the day. Cy Thompson (St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands) and Kelly Stannard (Salem, Conn.) represented for RWU in A Division, with finishes of 11th and 13th in their first two races. The two came back with a fifth-place finish in their third race but followed it up by placing 18th. They would close out the day finishing fifth and sixth in the last two races. At B Division were Sean Bouchard (Bermuda) and Bianca Rom (Amityville, N.Y.), who opened the championship with a 12th place showing, followed by a rally for sixth in the second race. Yet the duo closed out the final four races with finishes of 12th, 11th, 10th, and 15th. By the end of the day, the Hawks sat in 12th place.
Inclement weather adversely affected all the sailors on day two, as a severe thunderstorm warning halted racing for much of the afternoon. As a result, only four A Division and three B Division races were completed. In the first A Division race of the day, Thompson and Stannard tallied an 18th-place finish before storming back to take fourth in the following race. Tyler Wilson (Woodville, Mass.) stepped in for Stannard at Crew in the third race of the day, where he and Thompson came in fifth. Stannard and Thompson ended the day in the final race of the day with a showing of 11th. At B Division, the Hawks got off to a slow start after being disqualified in their first race of the day. In the following race, Wilson and Bjarki Gunnarsson (River Vale, N.J.) would end up taking tenth place among the field. In the third race of the day, which would ultimately end up being the final race for B Division, Bouchard and Rom had the best showing for the Hawks of the championship, taking third overall in the race.
Light air on the third day of the championship ended up putting and end to the championship, as no races were sailed on the final day of competition. Boston College, who entered the day with a five-point lead on Harvard University, clinched the victory by default and won its first ICSA/Gill Coed Dinghy National Championship in school history, along with its third championship of the 2010 Spring Season. The championship by the Eagles marks an end to the 2009-10 season for Roger Williams.
