RWU Sailing Claims Second Place at College Sailing Team Race National Championship

NEW ORLEANS, LA. – Continuing a winning streak in the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) National Championship, Roger Williams University’s Sailing team captured second place in the ICSA team race national event, held in New Orleans May 16-18.

This was RWU’s third time in the past four seasons that they claimed a second-place finish at the ICSA College Sailing Team Race National Championships, coming in as No. 2 in both 2018 and 2021. After three days of fierce competition, they finished this year as the national runner-up to Yale University at the regatta hosted at Tulane University.

“I am beyond proud of this team for the way they pulled together at this event,” RWU Sailing Head Coach Amanda Callahan said. “How they finished it out in the series is a real testament to how fierce they are as competitors.”
 
The RWU student-athlete pairings included Spencer Cartwright, of Nassau, Bahamas, and Rachel Holick, of Lawrence, N.J.; Cameron Wood, of Corona del Mar, Calif., and Emily Gildea., of Palos Park, Ill.; and Aidan Hoogland, of Chula Vista, Calif., and Molly Matthews, of Grosse Ile, Mich.

The team racing format pitted the RWU team in head-to-head competition against each of the other 15 teams in attendance. With three boats on the water for each team, and the field thinning as the stages progressed, and the RWU sailors came out of the opening two days and stage one at 14-1, and firmly in first place.

Stage two of team racing put them against even more fearsome competition. They alternated wins and losses through their first four, beating Tulane and Boston College but falling to Harvard University and the U.S. Naval Academy. RWU picked up a third win over Georgetown University, along with losses to Stanford University and Yale. Finishing stage two at 17-5 put them in second place and advancing to the Final Four alongside Georgetown, Stanford, and Yale.

“Despite all the challenges facing the team, they did the best sailing they have done all year over the last three days,” Callahan said. “The second day of sailing was truly a remarkable day of team racing. The teamwork was excellent; everyone got a chance to shine and come up clutch. Even when we had some tough starts, we were usually back in the race by mark three. While we were expecting and hoping for a bit more breeze, they managed to unlock a new gear of boat speed in the light and lumpy conditions.”
 
RWU opened the round-robin in the final four with wins over Georgetown and Stanford, sweeping the top-three spots and positioning themselves toward victory. Roger Williams needed Yale to lose to Georgetown to have a chance at taking the national championship, but Yale’s team held off their final opponent and clinched the crown. RWU Sailing finished the event with a loss to Yale, and an overall record of 19-6.

“When it came down to the final four, we were not totally in control of our own destiny,” Callahan said. “We had to go undefeated, and another team had to beat Yale. Our race versus Yale was scheduled last. The team showed amazing composure under pressure, sailing away from Georgetown and Stanford. Georgetown almost made our dream of a winner-take-all-final with Yale come true, but ultimately the Hoyas succumbed to the Elis at the finish line.”
 
Individual Results
RWU Statistics: ICSA Team Racing National Championship
Stage 1 (Round of 16): T-1st/16, 14-1(def. Navy, Penn, Charleston, Yale, Boston College, Wisconsin, Tulane, St. Mary's College, Tufts, UC Santa Barbara, Harvard, Dartmouth, Stanford, Hobart and William Smith Colleges)
Stage 2 (Gold 8): 3-4 (def. Tulane, Boston College, Georgetown)
Final Four: 2-1 (def. Georgetown, Stanford)
RWU Skippers: Spencer Cartwright (Nassau, Bahamas), Cameron Wood (Corona del Mar, Calif.), Aidan Hoogland (Chula Vista, Calif.)
RWU Crews: Rachel Holick (Lawrence, N.J.), Emily Gildea (Palos Park, Ill.), Molly Matthews (Grosse Ile, Mich.)
 
Coming Up
May 19-22: ICSA COED Dinghy National Championship at Tulane University.