NORFOLK, Va. – The Roger Williams University Sailing team is set to see the first Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) National Championship of the season beginning on Saturday, Nov. 8 and closing on Sunday, Nov. 9, as Connor McHugh (Annadale, N.J.) competes at the Glen S. Foster Trophy for the Open Singlehanded Championship hosted by Old Dominion.
The regatta will be McHugh's debut on the national stage. McHugh was an at-large selection after finishing his second Monotype Trophy for the New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association (NEISA) Open Singlehanded Championship.
McHugh was one of five NEISA sailors selected, with Robby Meek of Harvard earning the Automatic Qualifying spot in the conference. McHugh placed fourth at the Monotype, finishing with 73 total points, two points behind third-place Guthrie Braun of Brown, who also qualified. Mathias Reimer placed fifth and rounded out the qualifiers from NEISA.
At the Monotype Trophy, McHugh started strong, finishing second and third in his races, before a 16th-place finish dropped him down the leaderboard. McHugh responded with a fifth and second place finish ahead of a seventh and fifth in races six and seven to sit with 45 points. McHugh then added two points with a second-place finish, but suffered another setback finishing 14th. McHugh then closed out the regatta with a 7th and fifth-place finish to compile his final points.
McHugh's debut at the Monotype in the fall of 2024 saw him place 14th, but he jumped up 10 spots in his second run.
The Hawks have a singlehanded national title on the books coming in 2008 when Cy Thompson earned the National Title. The Hawks last had a sailor on the water at the Glen S. Foster Trophy in 2023 when Mathieu Dale '25 sailed to seventh.
This marks the ninth appearance by an RWU sailor, while occurring in eight separate years. The Glen S. Foster Trophy begins sailing on Saturday, Nov. 8 in Norfolk, Va.
