Qualifiers done for Women’s Nationals

The 2023 College Women’s National Championship got underway for 36 teams with the semifinals on May 23-24 in Kings Point, NY. With 18 teams each in the Eastern and Western heats, Yale University and Stanford University came out on top, respectively. Stanford was trailed closely by Bowdoin in the Western semifinal, while Yale overtook Coast Guard in the Eastern semifinal to advance to the Finals on May 25-26.

“We really focused on getting to know the race area,” said Carmen Cowles, a skipper on the Yale University team that won the Eastern Semifinal. “We were able to sail consistently, trust our boat speed, and use this time to learn more about the boats and environment.”

Day one started with north winds at 10-12 knots, then shifted to the sea breeze later in the day; unfortunately, this shift in the breeze caused an abandonment for race four of the Eastern Division with a slight postponement ashore.

During the races, the current presented a prominent challenge and caused some issues with starts and, as a result, some general recalls. The race committee was able to get six races for both A and B divisions in the Eastern and Western Semifinals.

Day two had a much later start as there was little to no breeze in the morning. The sea breeze finally started to fill around 3:00pm ET, and the current was in full force, demonstrated by many general and individual recalls. Those general recalls and the late start resulted in only two races for both A and B divisions for the Eastern and Western Semifinals.

While Bowdoin College held the lead after the first day, Stanford University took the victory on day two. “This year, our team committed to practicing how we race and racing how we practice,” said Lizzy Kaplan of Bowdoin College. “Heading into the semi-finals, we channeled this mentality by keeping it simple and focusing on our biggest strength: our speed. We’re looking forward to more racing to come!”

Teams advancing in order of final results:
• Western Division: Stanford University, Bowdoin College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Pennsylvania, Boston College, Dartmouth College, US Naval Academy, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, University of South Florida. – RESULTS

• Eastern Division: Yale University, US Coast Guard Academy, College of Charleston, Cornell University, Tulane University, Georgetown University, Harvard University, Brown University, Tufts University. – RESULTS

Results for Final: https://scores.collegesailing.org/s23/sailing-women-national/

Online livestream will start May 25 with a Pre-Race Show beginning at 1:30 PM ET each day: https://icsa.live/

National Championship Schedule:
April 29-30, Women’s Team Race – Stanford, CA
May 23-26, Women’s Fleet Race – Kings Point, NY
May 27-29, Open Team Race – Kings Point, NY
May 30-June 2, Open Fleet Race – Kings Point, NY