NEW ORLEANS, LA. – It was an outstanding showing by the Roger Williams University Sailing team at the ICSA National Championship, hosted by Tulane University, as the Hawks finished second after three days on the water. It is RWU's third time in the past four seasons that they have taken second place finish at the Team Racing National Championships, after they took the same spot in both 2018 and 2021.

"I am beyond proud of this team for the way they pulled together at this event, Head Coach Amanda Callahan said. "How they finished it out the series is a real testament to how fierce they are as competitors."
 
The format sees the RWU go head-to-head against each of the other 15 teams in attendance, with three boats on the water for each team, and the field thinning as the stages progressed, and the Hawks came out of the opening two days and stage one at 14-1, and firmly in first place. The teams' pairings of Spencer Cartwright (Nassau, Bahamas) and Rachel Holick (Lawrence, N.J.), Cameron Wood (Corona del Mar, Calif.) and Emily Gildea (Palos Park, Ill.), and Aidan Hoogland (Chula Vista, Calif.) and Molly Matthews (Grosse Ile, Mich.) were terrific in building their advantage and while a tough stage two would hurt them, they still did well enough to finish as the national runners-up.

"Despite all the challenges facing the team, they did the best sailing they have done all year over the last three days," Callahan said."The middle day was truly remarkable day of team racing. The teamwork was excellent; everyone got a chance to shine and come up clutch. Even when we had some tough starts, we were usually back in the race by mark three. While we were expecting/hoping for a bit more breeze, they unlocked a new gear of boat speed in the light and lumpy conditions."
 
The Hawks did not enjoy as smooth of sailing over the course of stage two as they did in stage one, but they nonetheless did enough to advance. They alternated wins and losses through their first four, beating Tulane and Boston College but falling to Harvard and Navy. They picked up a third win over Georgetown as it looked like they were getting on track, but they finished the stage with losses to Stanford and Yale. That put them at 17-5 and firmly in second entering the Final Four alongside Georgetown, Stanford, and Yale.
 
RWU opened the round-robin in the Final Four on the right foot, grabbing a win by taking first, second, and fourth over Georgetown. They followed that up with another victory over Stanford as the Hawks sailed a really smart race to sweep the top-three spots, and position themselves well. Roger Williams would need some help to have a chance at taking the national championship, but they would not get it as Yale would hold off Georgetown to clinch the crown. The Hawks finished the event by dropping their final race to the national champion Bulldogs to finish the event with an overall record of 19-6.

"When it came down to the final four, we were not totally in control of our own destiny," Callahan said. We had to go undefeated, and another team had to beat Yale. Our race versus Yale was scheduled last. The team showed amazing composure under pressure, sailing away from Georgetown and Stanford. Georgetown almost made our dream of a winner-take-all-final with Yale come true, but ultimately the Hoyas succumbed to the Eli's at the finish line."
 
Individual Results
ICSA Team Racing National Championship
Stage 1 (Round of 16): T-1^st/16, 14-1(def. Navy, Penn, Charleston, Yale, Boston College, Wisconsin, Tulane, St. Mary's College, Tufts, UC Santa Barbara, Harvard, Dartmouth, Stanford, Hobart and William Smith Colleges)
Stage 2 (Gold 8): 3-4 (def. Tulane, Boston College, Georgetown)
Final Four: 2-1 (def. Georgetown, Stanford)
Skippers: Spencer Cartwright (Nassau, Bahamas), Cameron Wood (Corona del Mar, Calif.), Aidan Hoogland (Chula Vista, Calif.)
Crews: Rachel Holick (Lawrence, N.J.), Emily Gildea (Palos Park, Ill.), Molly Matthews (Grosse Ile, Mich.)
 
What's Next
May 19-22: ICSA COED Dinghy National Championship @ Tulane