Crimson Gets Solid Marks at Regattas

Divide and conquer was the motto of the Harvard sailing team this weekend, as members of the squad competed in regattas across New England and came up with good results across the board.

The Crimson’s co-ed contingent led the way, notching third- and fourth-place finishes respectively at the Thompson Trophy and George Morris Trophy. That momentum will serve the team well as it prepares for next weekend’s co-ed national semifinals.

On the women’s side, despite some excellent individual races, Harvard ultimately came away disappointed, as its seventh-place finish at the Women’s New England Championship was not enough to send the team to nationals.

The Crimson’s younger sailors also saw significant time on the water this weekend, competing in the MIT/Wellesley Invitational and the New England Freshman Championship.

WOMEN’S NEW ENGLAND CHAMPIONSHIP

After a strong showing on Saturday, the Harvard women faltered on Sunday, finishing a disappointing seventh at the Women’s New England Championship, hosted by Yale.

The finish leaves the Crimson out of national title contention, as only the top five teams advanced to next month’s nationals.

“I have to say, it was really hard [Sunday] when we didn’t qualify,” freshman Meghan Wareham said. “We were all disappointed, but we definitely did give it our best effort.”

“It came as a shock because our team has a great tradition of qualifying,” junior captain Megan Watson added. “The goal isn’t just to qualify, it’s to get to nationals and do well there.”

Harvard sat in third place at the close of competition on Saturday, but with the A-division crew able to muster just one top-eight finish on Sunday, the national berth slipped out of the Crimson’s reach.

Skipper Watson and crew Wareham, who was named to the All-New England team, wound up eighth in the A-division. They accumulated seven top-eight finishes in Saturday’s competition, highlighted by a second-place finish in the regatta’s opening race.

Junior Olivia Volkhoff replaced Wareham as crew for the last three races on Sunday.

Harvard’s B-division team posted a matching eighth-place finish, sailing very consistently throughout the regatta. Sophomore Liz Powers skippered the boat to 13 top-ten finishes, including second place in the fifth race.

Freshman Quincy Bock was Powers’ primary crew, though sophomore Ali Beyer and Wareham also saw time in the B boat on Sunday.

“A combination of things happened. We made some mistakes, like I’d forget to tighten the line or we didn’t have a good start,” Wareham said. “Little things that add up.”

“On Sunday, the wind came up and unfortunately we’re a small team,” Watson added. “Big wind has been our weakness all season.”

Boston College easily won the regatta with 118 points, with Tufts, Brown, Yale and Boston University also gaining berths to nationals. The Crimson finished with 198 points, 19 points out of the top five.

Although the women’s season is now over, with such a young team, there is always the promise of the future.

“There’s not much consolation in saying there’s always next year for me, but at the same time, I know we will get there,” Wareham said. “I’m definitely going to miss it.”

THOMPSON TROPHY

Harvard’s co-ed squad also spent the weekend on the Connecticut coast, recording a third-place finish in the Thompson Trophy in New London.

The Crimson was paced by its A-division crew of senior skipper Kyle Kovacs and senior crew Elyse Dolbec, who sailed to a third-place finish in their division.

Kovacs and Dolbec recorded seven top-three finishes, and three wins, in the regatta’s 18 races.

Meanwhile, the B-division boat of freshman skipper Alan Palmer and junior crew Lauren Brants placed fifth behind 10 top-five finishes and two wins of their own.

Boston College handily won the team competition, placing more than 30 points ahead of runner-up Georgetown.

GEORGE MORRIS TROPHY

Harvard’s co-ed team also competed in the George Morris Trophy, hosted by Boston University, over the weekend. The Crimson placed fourth in the fourteen-team field.

Harvard’s B-division boat finished in third place, while the A-division boat wound up in sixth.

Freshman John Stokes, sophomore Drew Robb, and sophomore Michelle Konstadt represented the Crimson at the regatta.

MIT/WELLESLEY INVITATIONAL

Harvard’s younger sailors started out strong, but couldn’t sustain their momentum, placing eighth in the MIT/Wellesley Invitational in Cambridge on Sunday.

The Crimson was represented at the regatta by a pair of freshmen, skipper Colin Santangelo and crew Rachel Park. After sailing to a victory in the regatta’s first race, the pair consistently placed in the top eight, but a 17th-place finish in the fifth race kept Harvard in the middle of the pack.

A Boston University crew emerged victorious in the 18-boat field.

—Staff writer Kate Leist can be reached at kleist@fas.harvard.edu.