May 30, 2006

CHARLESTON, S.C.—The Hobart and William Smith sailing team finished third in the ICSA/Layline Team Race National Championship on the Cooper River today. Georgetown University was the overall winner of the three-day event followed by Tufts University. The University of South Florida and Harvard University rounded out the top five.

“I’m really proud of the whole team,” HWS Head Coach Scott Iklé ’84 said. “They did an excellent job all season long. We had a lot of close races here. The kids should be proud of their third place finish.”

In team racing, schools compete against one another, head-to-head. Each team sends three boats out against the three of their opponent. Junior skipper Trevor Moore (Woodstock Union/Pomfret, Vt.) sailed with senior crew Augusta Nadler (Tabor Academy/Marion, Mass.); sophomore skipper Brian Clancy (Boston College/Scituate, Mass.) sailed with senior crew Amanda Markee (Torrey Pines/Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.); and sophomore skipper Jay Mills (Hotchkiss School/Greenport, N.Y.) sailed with senior crew Molly Lawson (Noble & Greenough School/Duxbury, Mass.) for HWS. Sophomore crew James Landi (Salisbury School/Salisbury, Md.) subbed for Markee for one race.

For the fourth year in a row, the Colleges advanced to the final four round of the championship. HWS posted a 1-2 record in the finals, earning its win against the eventual champion Hoyas.

The team race championship begins with group racing. The top eight teams advance to the championship round. HWS was 5-1 in Group A, finishing second to Harvard. After determining the top eight, the group sailing records are thrown out and each team starts over with a 0-0 record.

The championship round is contested in a double round robin format. HWS was 5-2 the first time through the field. Georgetown and Harvard were the only blemishes. The Colleges were 3-4 the second time through to compile an 8-6 mark, tying with the Bulls and the Crimson for third place. HWS earned the third spot heading into the finals thanks to a 3-1 record against USF and Harvard in the championship round. USF was 2-2, including a pair of wins over the Crimson to take the last spot in the finals.

The finish gave Nadler the sailing equivalent of hitting for the cycle in baseball. She is the only member of this year’s team that has competed in each of the past four ICSA Team Race Championships, finishing first in 2005, second in 2004, third in 2006, and fourth in 2003.

The Colleges’ sailing season will come to a close in three days, following the ICSA/Gill Coed Dinghy National Championship, which begins on May 31.

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