November 6, 2005

John Sampson and his classmates finished second in the Freshmen ACCs. (Photo by Amory Ross '06)

For a third straight weekend, Hobart and William Smith sailors turned in some very good results. HWS finished second out of 18 teams in the Freshman Atlantic Coast Championships (ACCs) at Brown University and third out of 16 teams in the MAISA Women’s Championships hosted by New York Maritime, qualifying for the Women’s ACC’s, Nov. 12-13 at Coast Guard.

HWS first-years, fresh off a dominating performance at the MAISA Freshman Championships, had high expectations entering the weekend’s championships at Brown. After two days of gorgeous sailing conditions, it was Boston College that came out on top of the 18-boat fleet, finishing just nineteen points in front of Hobart and William Smith.

Sailing for HWS were first-years John Sampson (St. Georges School/Rumson, N.J.), Sarah Borup (Toms River South/Pine Beach, N.J.), Austin Kana (Gunston School/ Easton, Md.) and Morgan Commette (St. Thomas Aquinas/Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.).

Sampson and Borup teamed up in A division finishing in fifth place. They were only six points out of third and 14 out of first place which, in a fleet of 18 boats, can be gained or lost in a single race. Sampson and Borup registered five top-five finishes in 11 races, winning one.

Kana and Commette finished third in B division, losing a tie-break with second place Charleston, just five points behind BC. Kana and Commette recorded seven top-five finishes, including two firsts.

The women’s team was back in action after a weekend off, sailing in the MAISA Championships. The top seven finishers were to qualify for the ACC’s this weekend. Struggling as of late, William Smith sailors remained positive entering the weekend.

“We had a really good week of practice and felt good about our chances,” senior Molly Lawson (Noble & Greenough School/Duxbury, Mass.), A division crew, said. “We spent a lot of time learning about current and we felt like we were the only team to really utilize the funky conditions at New York Maritime.”

Their preparations paid off and William Smith sailors were rewarded with a strong performance. William Smith finished third, winning a tie-breaker with fourth place Georgetown. Navy and St. Mary’s were first and second, respectively.

Finishing an impressive second place in A division were seniors Augusta Nadler (Tabor Academy/Marion, Mass.) and Lawson, both relatively new to all women’s sailing regattas. The two were in first place for most of the weekend and had it not been for a costly 11th on the final race, would have easily won A division, finishing two points behind Navy for the top spot. In the final race, Nadler and Lawson crossed the starting line early and had to circle back to restart. The duo posted six top-five finishes in seven races, including three firsts and a second.

In B division, junior Kate Brush (Champlain Valley Union/Hinnesburg, Vt.) and sophomore Kate Wilson (Prout School/Hope Valley, R.I.) finished fourth, recording five top-five finishes, including a first and two seconds.

HWS travels to St. Mary’s College for the Atlantic Coast Dinghy Championships and Coast Guard Academy for the Women’s Atlantic Coast Championships on Nov. 12-13 to close out the fall season.

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