Crimson Coeds Take Trophy

Facing their stiffest competition so far on the young season, Harvard’s top coed and women’s sailing teams came away from this past weekend with some very promising results.

Competing against teams from up and down the Eastern seaboard, the Crimson relied on some key veteran leaders to hopefully set the tone for the remainder of the fall season.

“Overall, we had a very positive weekend and are looking forward to the next few weeks as we continue to face some of the best teams from around the region,” junior crew Alexandra Jumper said.

The coed squad provided the highlight of the weekend, as the team captured the Nevins Trophy over two days of competition at Kings Point, N.Y.

The women’s team used a strong finish in the A division to come away with a fifth-place showing at the Mrs. Hurst Bowl.

Two other coed contingents also competed on the weekend at regattas held in the New England region.

NEVINS TROPHY

Harvard sent its top coed sailors to the Nevins Trophy regatta held in Kings Point, N.Y., over the weekend, and the team edged out two sailing stalwarts in Georgetown and Boston College to bring home the team title in the 20-team field.

In the A division, senior skipper Alan Palmer teamed up with a fellow fourth-year, crew Quincy Bock, to place sixth, earning the Crimson’s only first-place finish among the 19 races that were contested across three divisions over the weekend.

Senior John Stokes skippered Harvard’s B-division boat to a runner-up effort, as senior Meghan Wareham and junior Marie Appel split time at crew.

Fourth-year veteran Tedd Himler finished fourth in the C-division, which was contested by individuals sailing in Laser boats.

“This weekend really proved a testament to our team’s depth in a quality field, as we were able to put together strong finishes in all three divisions,” Palmer said. “While we were not able to get in as many races as we would have hoped because of the lack of wind, it was nice that they called the regatta when they did, as we were the ones in the lead.”

WOMEN’S MRS. HURST BOWL

The Crimson women’s squad also had a strong showing this weekend, as the team placed fifth out of 19 teams at the Mrs. Hurst Bowl, hosted by Dartmouth on Mascoma Lake.

Junior skipper Emily Lambert and Jumper bested all of their A-division competition rather easily, finishing with a total of 25 points, which proved to be 18 points clear of the runner-up Brown Bears in the division.

Rookie skipper Morgan Russom and a fellow first-year, crew Isabel Ruane, had a bit more difficulty in the B division of competition, as the freshman duo sailed to an 11th place effort.

“Everything came together really nicely for us in the A division,” Jumper said. “The freshmen in the B division sailed well on Saturday, but it was a little rough for them on Sunday, which is to be expected as they continue to get used to being in the boat together and to the different tactics used in collegiate sailing.”

HATCH BROWN TROPHY

While Harvard’s top sailors finished strongly this weekend in their respective regattas, some of the Crimson’s other sailors experienced some difficulty, as a coed contingent struggled to a 17th place team effort in a field of 18 at the Hatch Brown Trophy regatta held at MIT.

Junior skipper Brendan Kopp and junior crew William White finished well in the A division of racing, placing second, but 17th and 16th place efforts in the B and C divisions, respectively, hurt Harvard’s overall chances in the team competition.

BOSTON HARBOR INVITATIONAL, CENTRAL SERIES TWO

Another Crimson coed squad placed 16th out of 18 teams at the Boston Harbor Invitational, hosted over the weekend by Boston College as the second installment of the Central Series of racing.

Coed freshmen and sophomores made up the contingent of sailors competing at this regatta for Harvard.

—Staff writer Thomas D. Hutchinson can be reached at tdhutch@fas.harvard.edu.