United States Coast Guard Academy - Department of Athletics - Sailing - Freshman Krysta Rohde Wins National Championship

SEATTLE, WASH.--(11/5/07)--Freshman Krysta Rohde from Richmond Hill, GA won the 2007 Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) Women’s Singlehanded Championships for the Janet Lutz Trophy. Rohde becomes the first woman to win a National Sailing Championship of any kind at the Coast Guard Academy and the first National Sailing Championship the Academy has won since 1968.

All 17 competitors qualified for the Championship through conference qualifiers. Rohde finished 2nd of 25 in the New England Qualifiers on September 29-30 at Roger Williams University, earning her a berth to the National Championship, which rotates through the seven conferences nationally. This year it was hosted by the University of Washington in Seattle, WA.

With no racing on the first day due to lack of wind, the regatta was condensed to two days. On Saturday a total of ten races were sailed and Rohde finished the day tied for second with Yale’s Jane Macky and eight points behind the leader, Katrina Williams from Old Dominion. Sunday saw freshening breeze and a dominating performance by Rohde.

By winning five out of the last eight races and finishing the day with a 1.6 average, Rohde moved ahead of her two closest competitors and won the Championship by eight points and becomes only the second freshman ever to win this regatta.

Mark Zagol, Head Intercollegiate Coach explained, “Our game plan on Sunday centered around consistent starts where Krysta could put the bow down and use her fitness and boatspeed to her advantage. This is a huge win for Krysta and the Academy.” With the win, Rohde also garnered New England’s Woman Sailor of the Week Award, also a first for the Coast Guard Academy.

For event website and complete results, please visit:
http://www.collegesailing.org/nas/fall07/results.asp?RegattaID=237