Bulldogs Poised For Successful Spring Season

March 1, 2008

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Bulldogs are ready for a successful spring sailing season. After all, the 2007 fleet race squad that placed third nationally returns its key members and the team racing squad returns all except one of the skippers who helped the team place second nationally in 2007. The Elis, however, are not ready to rest on their laurels as there is still a lot of work and improvement to be done before the ICSA National Dinghy and Team Race Championships held in late May and early June.

McNay Family Director of Yale Sailing Zachary Leonard '89 sees a bright future ahead for the Bulldogs, as they have the potential to continue to achieve at high levels due to their strong work ethic.

"Everyone is so enthusiastic about working hard that we'll get as good as we can be," Leonard said. "We're going to do well if we keep on working at it. We hope to keep on getting better everyday at practice and if we do that, then the results will take care of themselves."

The Bulldogs demonstrated this fall that they still have the competitive instinct they used during the 2007 spring campaign. The team competed well throughout the season and earned a No. 3 national ranking that has carried through to the spring. The season ended on a high note, with sophomore captain Thomas Barrows winning the ICSA National Single-handed Championship, becoming the first male sailor in Yale's history to do so.

The team looks to continue to build upon its success in fleet racing that it established this fall. Among many accomplishments, the Bulldogs won the Navy Fall Intersectional, a regatta which is historically one of the most competitive of the fall season.

For captain Barrows, the fleet racing season seems promising.

"I feel good about the upcoming season and look forward to building upon last year's success," Barrows said. "In fleet racing, I feel as though we are pretty fast and we have a veteran team, including the same team that competed at nationals last year."

Barrows also echoed Leonard's comments by noting that "we just need to keep on improving."

In fleet racing, most intersectional competitions will be sailed by veterans Barrows and senior crew Abigail Coplin along with senior teammate Zachary Brown and junior crew Grace Becton. Barrows, Coplin, Becton and Brown are all returning All-Americans from the 2007 season, with Brown also being honored in 2005 and 2006.

The Bulldogs also feature a highly accomplished and talented team race squad. The 2007 team took second at nationals and the 2008 squad returns many of the same sailors. Leonard sees a bright future for the squad of Barrows, Coplin, Brown, Becton, sophomore John Kempton and junior Adriane Levin and is already pleased with the improvements the team has made.

"I am really looking forward to working with the team racers," Leonard said. "John Kempton had a huge breakthrough in the fall and it encourages me."

Barrows also is looking forward to team racing and credits much of the team's success to its talented crews.

"As a team, we have some of the best crews," Barrows said. "We want to continue to work together and get better as a team. We can continue to improve. We only have Zachary Brown on the team for one more season and we want to continue to learn and get knowledge from him as he is a great asset."

The Bulldogs are ready to build on their previous success and improve in the future at all levels of competition. As Leonard said, "Many others that have not been mentioned have also worked hard and everyone on the team just gets into it and puts more effort in, which helps out the team. It makes the team better from top to bottom."

Brown, one of the team's top sailors, credits the coaches with much of the team's success.

"We have the best coaches in college sailing," Brown said, in referring to Leonard and assistant coach William Healy. "They can help guide us to victory."

If the past is any indication and the team continues its string of hard work, victory is certainly an achievable goal. Until the end of the season, the team will continue to put in time on the water in an effort to continually improve.

Report filed by Caleb Dorfman '09, Yale Sports Publicity