May 24, 2011
CASCADE LOCKS, Ore. - The Old Dominion women's sailing team put itself in good position to grab one of the nine remaining berths to the Sperry Top-Sider/ICSA Women's National Championships. After the completion of six races in both divisions on day one of the first round, the Lady Monarchs sit fifth overall in the 18-team field with 87 points.
The top nine from this round will be added to the nine already qualified teams in the Final Round of Nationals.
There was a slight delay to the start of racing on day one, but once the sailing got started it was a good day on the Columbia River Gorge. The sun was in and out with an occasional shower and temperatures hovered in the low to mid 50's. There was a westerly breeze blowing down the river at 15-18 mph with gusts up to 25 mph in the afternoon. The current was ripping in the river making for challenging conditions for the competitors.
Senior skipper Morgan Wilson and junior crew Jordan Stock had a stellar day on the water in B-Division racing. The duo posted four top-four finishes and had just one result outside the top-seven.
While ODU's B-Division boat ended day one in fourth, the A-Division boat finished strong to claim ninth at the end of the opening day. Senior All-American Stephanie Roble and junior crew Arianna Baker started the day with three finishes 10th or worse, but ended strong with three consecutive finishes seventh or better, including a pair of fourth-place results.
There is a 60-point spread between first and ninth places with 5th-9th place only a few points apart.
Racing will begin again Tuesday at 12 noon eastern time for the First Round. If all of the required races are completed in the morning, racing is set to begin for the Women's Final National Championships Round at 4 p.m.
Find full results and follow the racing and scores live on the event website: 2011nationals.collegesailing.info
Top Nine Teams
1. Yale University
2. Brown University
3. University of Rhode Island
4. U.S. Coast Guard Academy
5. Old Dominion University
6. Georgetown University
7. Eckerd College
8. Harvard University
9. University of South Florida
-ODU-