June 7, 2005

Austin, TX -The Yale sailing team continued its outstanding performance at the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association Spring Championship 2005 with a strongshowing in the team competition. The Bulldogs finished out the competition with a 10-7 record for a second place finish. Hobart/William Smith finished first with a 13-4 record.

It was a close race between Hobart and Yale when the teams were finally narrowed down to the final four. The two teams also competed in the finals against USC and Harvard. Hobart was ahead of Yale by one win entering the finals. However, Hobart managed to take advantage of Yale's three losses in the last races of the competition to pull away and claim the title.

Coach Zach Leonard expressed his pride in the team and noted the competition was extremely tough this year. "They did a really good job. These teams are all really good so anyone can win."

Stu McNay '05, who recently competed for an Olympic bid to Athens, sailed with Meredith Killion '05. Zach Brown '08 sailed with Sarah Himmelfarb '06 as his crew, and Molly Carapiet '06 and Jenn Hoyle '05 sailed together after earning an eighth place finish days earlier in the women's competition.

In addition to the glory of winning second place in the team competition, it was announced that perennial standout Carapiet was named for the third year in a row to the Ronstan All-American team, which honors sailors for their "competitive excellence." Emily Hill '06, who competed as a crew in the women's competition, was awarded Honorable Mention.

The Yale sailing team looks forward to competing in the final leg of the regatta, the Co-Ed Dinghy Championships, on June 8-10 at Lake Travis.

Report filed by Christie Yang '06, Yale Sports Publicity.