June 27, 2008
NORFOLK, VA--Four former Old Dominion University Sailors will be members of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Sailing squad in Beijing, China this August. Sally Barkow(`02-Nashotah, Wisconsin), Debbie Capozzi ('03- Bayport, NY.), Anna Tunnicliffe('05-Plantation, FL.), and 2004 Olympic Silver Medalist Charles Ogletree ('89-Kemah, TX.) will be among the 25 members of the USA Sailing squad. In all, ODU will have nine former student athletes competing in this year's summer games.
Barkow is a two-time US Sailing Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year in 2005 and 2007. Shewas the winning skipper on the US Sailing's Rolex International Women's KeelboatChampionships in 2003,05, and 07. Barkow ranked number one on the US Sailing team in the Yngling class 2005-2008. As an undergrad at ODU, Barkow earned All-American honors in 2000, 2001 and 2002. She will be competing in the Yngling class in Beijing.
Debbie Capozzi won the Yngling World Chamionships and the ISAF Women's MatchRacing worlds in 2005. She also ranked number #1 on the US. Sailing team in the Yngling Class 2005-08. She had three top five finishes this year, including a first at the Women's Match-Racing Championships in Annapolis, MD., and second at the French Olympic Sailing Week in Hyeres, France. She placed fourth in the Yngling Women's World Championships in Miami. Capozzi earned Collegiate All-American honors at ODU in 2003. She will be competing in the Yngling class in Beijing.
Anna Tunnicliffe ranked number one in the world in 2007 and was the 2007 USOC Sportswoman of the Year. In 2008, Tunnicliffe placed first at the Delta Lloyd Regatta inThe Netherlands, second at the French Olympic Sailing Week in Hyreres, France and theUS Sailing Rolex Miami OCR. As an undergrad at ODU, Tunnicliffe won three consecutive ICSA collegiate singlehanded national championships and was a three-time All-American. In 2005, she was named the Quantum College Sailor of the Year. Tunnicliffe will be competing in the Laser Radial class in Beijing.
ODU head coach Mitch Brindley will also be Anna's coach in China.
Charlie Ogletree returns with teammate John Lovell for their fourth consecutive Olympics in the Tornado class. The duo earned silver medals in the 2004 games in Athens. In 2007, the duo finished first at the US Olympic Trials in San Diego. They also won the US Tornado National Championships in 2006 and placed 10th at the Delta Lloyd Regatta in Medembil, Netherlands earlier this year. Ogletree was inducted into the ODU Sports Hall of Fame in 2005. The 2004 U.S. Olympic Sailing Team Captain earned Collegiate All-American honors at ODU in 1989.
They will join five other former ODU standouts in August for the summer games.Anne Donovan ('83) is the USA Women's Basketball head coach, while 2002 Honda Award winner Tiffany Snow ('03), Caroline Nichols ('06), Dana Sensenig ('06) and Angie Loy ('05) will be playing for the US Field Hockey Squad. Snow, Nichols and Loy were each CAA Players of the Year at ODU.