No. 1 Bulldogs Take On New England's Best

April 1, 2007

68th Oberg Trophy | Southern Series III | 10th Southern NE Team Race | Ferrarone Team Race Intersectional

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The No. 1 Bulldogs had a busy weekend around New England, competing in four regattas and finishing well in each. The biggest event was the 68th Oberg Trophy at which Yale's sailors finished sixth. The Bulldogs entered the weekend having just maintained their No. 1 ranking in the Sailing World College Rankings, which were updated on Wednesday, Mar. 28.

Yale finished sixth at the 68th Oberg Trophy hosted by Northeastern Saturday and Sunday. The Bulldogs accumulated 282 points over the two-day regatta. Harvard won the event with 153 points.

Sophomore Katherine Hagemann and junior Lynn McGregor sailed Yale's boat in the A division, finishing in seventh with 149 points. The twosome managed six top five finishes out of 18 races sailed.

In the B division, the Bulldogs were represented by freshman Sarah Lihan and junior Katherine Williams. Lihan skippered the boat to a fourth place finish in the division, tallying 133 points on one race win and seven other top five finishes. The boat's victory came in the final race of the regatta and allowed it to leap frog both the Roger Williams and Dartmouth boats for fourth place.

Yale and the McNay Family Sailing Center also hosted the Ferrarone Team Race Intersectional, an event in which the Bulldogs took fourth behind St. Mary's, Boston College and Boston University. The Bulldogs notched a 4-2 record on Saturday to put them in the Gold Fleet on Sunday. They then posted a 7-8 mark to place fourth. Freshmen Michael Hession and John Kempton, junior Meghan Weeks and seniors Emily Hill, Hannah Oakland and Matthew Barry sailed Yale's boats.

The Bulldogs also raced in the Southern NE Team Race this weekend. By posting a 13-1 record on Saturday at Connecticut College, Yale's sailors were eligible to travel to the United States Coast Guard Academy for the conclusion of the event on Sunday. But the Elis found the waters in New London slightly less friendly, as they notched a 3-4 record and finished fifth. Yale's skippers were freshman Thomas Barrows, junior Zachary Brown and senior Philip Stemler. The crews were sophomores Grace Becton and Adriane Levin and junior Abigail Coplin.

On Saturday, Yale sailors won the Southern Series III hosted by Salve Regina. Yale's A and B boats combined to tally 83 points, well ahead of second place Coast Guard's 93. Junior Rufus Peabody and sophomore Emmet Smith, who sailed the Bulldogs' A boat, recorded the lowest point score of the day with 28 points. They won four of the nine races sailed. Freshman Rebecca Jackson and sophomore Elizabeth Clark-Polner sailed Yale's B boat to a fifth place finish with 55 points.

Next up for the Bulldogs are the 22nd Admiral Alymers Trophy and the 26th Marchiando Trophy Team Race Intersectional on Apr. 7 and Apr. 8.

Report filed by Nicholas Thorne '08, Yale Sports Publicity