On June 2, all the pieces were in place for an exciting finale to determine the 2009 ICSA/Gill National Championship on San Francisco Bay. The new day brought warmer air and sea conditions, to good breeze, which resulted in a close contest between the two front-runners for the title – St. Mary’s College of Maryland and Yale University. The two boats were separated by just seven points with only eight races left to sail.
After 36 races over three days contested by 123 sailors from the most competitive 18 schools in the nation, the SMCM Seahawks had won the title for the third time in school history.
A-Division was up first and Yale’s junior skipper Thomas Barrows alternated crews between sophomore Blair Belling and junior Marla Menninger, posted finishes of 9-2 to eliminate the seven-point lead St. Mary’s had over Yale when the day started.
St. Mary’s junior skipper Jesse Kirkland, with crew sophomore Madeline Jackson and Megan Magill, finished 13-5, resulting the two front-runners being tied on points. However, SMCM had the edge on a tie-break.
The lead then took another swing as St. Mary’s regained ground over Yale after the first set in B-Division put them ahead 157 to 166, before a photo finish in A-Division’s final race of the day, during which Yale and St. Mary’s rounded every mark 1-2, went to Yale and moved the Elis back into the lead 169-172. It was now down to B-Division to settle the score.
With the breeze gusting over 20 knots, St. Mary’s sophomore skipper Michael Menninger and senior crew Jennifer Chamberlain posted a 6-1 to the 14-16 of Yale’s freshman skipper Joseph Morris with junior crew Michael Hession, earning St. Mary’s the win by 20 points over Yale.
“It was a little too exciting for the coaches,” said SMCM coach Adam Werblow joking that his heart had to be restarted a few times. “Our B-Division team had a rough start in the second-to-last race, but then won the start in the last race had a clear lane and were able to go fast. Yale battled really hard. We thought we could hang with them in A and beat them in B. We were blessed. We brought seven, all seven sailed and they worked really hard, prepared for this venue and did enough right to win.“
Rounding out the top five finishers were Georgetown University in third with 231 points, followed by Old Dominion with 262 and Boston College with 315. Complete results are available at http://www.collegesailing.org/nas/spring09/coedresults.asp
In the ICSA/Gill National Championship each school fields a separate A and B division team with, weather permitting, each division sailing 20- to 30-minute fleet races in rotation. A team's final score is determined by the combined results of its sailors in A and B divisions. Stanford University co-hosted the championship with St. Francis Yacht Club, with racing taking place from the club utilizing Stanford’s fleet of FJs.
Governor Martin O’Malley issued the following statement June 4, congratulating St. Mary’s College of Maryland for winning the International Collegiate Sailing Association’s National Championship for the third time in school history:
"On behalf of all Marylanders, I want to congratulate the Seahawks of St. Mary’s College for their extraordinary win today in the ICSA’s National Championship. After three days, 36 races, and 123 competitors from 18 schools nationwide, the sailors of St. Mary’s have truly proven that they have the fortitude, endurance, and skill like no other team in the nation. “Today, St. Mary’s championship serves as a source of pride for all Marylanders, a people who proudly claim sailing as part of our rich heritage. Go Seahawks!”
For those interested in viewing the racing action, noted sailing commentator Gary Jobson will produce a program on the ICSA/Gill National Championship for ESPNU set to air Saturday, June 20 at 3:00 p.m. and Wednesday, July 1 at 3:00 a.m.
