United States Coast Guard Academy - Department of Athletics - Sailing - Lady Bears Finish 8th at National Championship

CASCADE LOCKS, OR--(5/27/11)--The 13th ranked Women's Sailing Team finished 8th at the 2011 ICSA Women's National Championship hosted by the Columbia Gorge Sailing Association and the Northwest Intercollegiate Sailing Association. After four long days of racing for the semi-finals and into the finals, the Lady Bears finished their season strong, with a solid result against the country's top collegiate sailors.

The conditions during the championship were far from what the competitors expected, making the Gorge's reputation as a windy venue hard to believe. A cold front that brought rain and clouds did not allow the temperature gradient to develop, causing light and often times no breeze.

Only seven races per division were completed during the final round, which magnified any slight errors or unlucky breaks and caused all teams to be very close in points at the end of the event. Coast Guard sailed consistently for most of the event, except for an early morning slump on Wednesday, when they put up six straight double digits.

In A-Division, seniors Krysta Rohde and Tanya Cuprak finished 9th with 62 points, just 10 points out of the top-5. Senior Jenn Proctor and junior Kristen Holloway were also 9th in B-Division with 53 points and only 4 points out of 5th. The team combined for 115 points and 8th place overall. Proctor and Holloway just barely edged out Georgetown in the last race who finished with 116 points.

University of Rhode Island won the regatta with 83 points with Connecticut College in 2nd with 93 and St. Mary's in 3rd with 95. Six of the top-10 teams were from New England.