June 3, 2003
GROSSE POINTE SHORES, MICHIGAN (June 3, 2003) - Tufts University (Medford, Mass.) continued to dominate today at the 2003 Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) Women's North American Championship. The Lady Jumbos now lead the regatta by 21 points. St. Mary's College (St. Mary's City, Md.) is in second place, followed by Old Dominion University (Norfolk, Va.).
Defending Champion Old Dominion had a slow start, but has been battling back ever since. Boasting three returning All-Americans and the ICSA/Vanguard Women's Singlehanded champion, ODU's experience has been paying off. Seniors Corrie Clement (Metarie, La.) and Liz Bower (Rochester, N.Y.) are third in A-division with 65 points. The Monarchs' B-Division squad of Anna Tunnicliffe (Perrysburg, Ohio) and Anna Cobb (Mechanicsville, Va.) are seventh in division with 87 points.
Strong easterly winds in the morning faded to a lighter northeasterly breeze as the day went on. All day, sailors battled chop that some described as "like sailing in a washing machine." Races were held out of the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club on Lake St. Clair in new Vanguard 420s provided by Vanguard Sailboats (Portsmouth, R.I.), a partner in the ICSA Growth and Development Project. The University of Michigan and the Midwest Collegiate Sailing Association are the hosts of record.
Juniors A.J. Crane (Warwick, Bermuda) and Kristen Tysell (Richmond, Calif.) have led the Tufts charge for the school's eighth women's title. They have now won 5 A-division races, and their 47 point total puts them in a commanding lead. Seniors Clare Dooley (Edgartown, Ma.) and Caroline Hall (Tiverton, R.I.) are third in the B-division with 61 points. The Jumbos' 108 point total gives them a solid margin going into the final day. Hall is a two-time All-American crew, while Crane received Honorable Mention as a women's skipper last year.
St. Mary's College climbed to second place today and now have 129 points. Senior Jamie Smith (West River, MD) and junior Jen Vandemoer (Centerville, Mass.) are in fifth place in A-division with 97 points. Senior Ali Sharp (Gatlinburg, Tenn.) and freshman Jenny Gervais (Charleston, S.C.) had a stellar day, winning 5 races and placing second in two more. Their 32 point total in B-division gives them the division lead by 24 points. Smith, Vandemoer and Sharp are returning All-Americans. The Seahawks insist they came to this regatta to win. While they trail Tufts by 21 points now, Smith said "we're going to bed hungry tonight."
Eight races in each division were sailed today. Fourteen A-division and 12 B-division races have now been completed. Racing concludes tomorrow, with 18 total races planned for the series in each division.