Bulldogs Second at Team Racing National Championships
May 29, 2007
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Bulldogs finished second at the 48th National Team Racing Championships Tuesday. St. Mary's won the National Championship, posting a 12-5 record in the three Gold Rounds. Yale (11-6) edged out Hobart William Smith (11-6) and traditional rival Harvard (9-7) for silver. The Bulldogs nailed down second place with a head-to-head victory over HWS in the Final Four round, which was sailed on Tuesday.
Senior skipper Philip Stemler and sophomore crew Adriane Levin sailed one of Yale's three boats in the regatta. Freshman skipper Thomas Barrows and junior crew Abigail Coplin manned another, while junior captain Zachary Brown and sophomore crew Grace Becton handled the third.
The Bulldogs advanced into the Gold Round by tallying a 4-2 record during Sunday's group sailing. Yale then won four of seven races in Gold Round 1 and five of seven in Gold Round 2 in order to advance to the Final Four.
Entering their final three races, the Bulldogs had notched a 9-5 record. First-place St. Mary's (11-3) was within striking distance. And despite having lost each of its three previous head-to-head meetings with St. Mary's, Yale managed a victory over the eventual champions in the Final Four.
A National Championship was not to be, however, as a loss to Harvard left the Elis one victory short of at least a share of the National Team Racing title. Nevertheless, with their 2-1 record on Tuesday afternoon, the Bulldogs did leapfrog Hobart William Smith for second place.
Sailing continues at the United States Naval Academy this week with the National Dinghy Championships.
Report filed by Nicholas Thorne '08, Yale Sports Publicity
