Oct. 23, 2008
NORFOLK, Va. - This weekend three ODU sailors will take to the water at Cornell in Ithaca, New York for a shot at the InterCollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) Singlehanded National Championship. Junior Kyle Rogachenko is the first male qualifier from ODU in seven seasons, since Brad Funk qualified and took second his senior season of 2001-02. Sophomores Morgan Wilson and Stephanie Roble will represent the Lady Monarchs for the second consecutive year, as Roble finished fourth last year and Wilson eleventh. ODU has qualified at least one sailor to the ICSA Singlehanded Championships in 14 of the last 15 years, winning four times.
This year ODU boasts a men's qualifier for the first time since 2001 in Kyle Rogachenko. Brad Funk, in his senior All-American season, finished second in 2001 in his third appearance at the championship. John Torgerson is the last men's winner for the Monarchs, taking the championship in 1996.
Rogachenko made a solid comeback on the second day of the MAISA Singlehanded Championship to finish fourth and qualify for nationals. Also, earlier this season he won the Laser South #1 at Navy. The junior will be competing in his first collegiate national championship, but the ODU sailor will bring championship experience to the course. Rogachenko took last fall off to train for the U.S. Olympic Trials after winning the U.S. Singlehanded Championship in the summer of 2007.
Rogachenko will be joined at the championship by MAISA opponents Charlie Buckingham (Georgetown), Michael Menninger (St. Mary's), and Robert Crane (Hobart), as well as 14 more of the nation's best singlehanded sailors.
On the women's side, Roble and Wilson will make back-to-back appearances at the championship in their first two years at ODU. Last season, as freshmen, the pair finished fourth and 11th respectively. Roble won her first conference title with a win of the MAISA Championship to qualify for nationals, while Wilson finished right behind her at second.
ODU has boasted unprecedented success at the women's championship in recent years, qualifying 13 female sailors in the last nine years. Last season, ODU boasted three qualifiers for the first time in school history and from 2002-05, USA Gold Medalist and ODU sailor Anna Tunnicliffe won back-to-back-to-back singlehanded championships for the first time in the history of the sport. Roble and Wilson will look to carry on the tradition of winning for the Lady Monarchs with their appearance this weekend.
Sailing begins for both the men's and women's championship on Friday, October 24 and will continue through Sunday, October 26. The men will be sailing for the Glen S. Forster Trophy while the women sail for the Janet Lutz Trophy.