NORFOLK, Va. - Esther Ireland competes at the 2026 College Sailing Singlehanded National Championships this weekend. The Championship is hosted by Fordham on Saturday, November 7-8 in Rye, New York at the American Yacht Club. The event will last all day.
ODU hosted the College Singlehanded National Championships in 2025 and has earned At-Large berths in four of the last five years. Scores for the Championship will be posted live at scores.collegesailing.org.
Ireland competes against 15 student-athletes from around the country for the Singlehanded National Championship title and the Janet Lutz Trophy. This is the second consecutive time Ireland has earned the right to compete. The last time ODU got its hands on the Janet Lutz Trophy was in 2004-05 when Anna Tunnicliffe earned her third consecutive trophy.
This fall season Ireland’s highlight performances include a third place finish at the Navy Women’s Regatta, a fifth place finish at the Faye Bennet MAISA Women’s Singles, and a fourth place result in the Women’s ACC Tournament.
Ireland was awarded At-Large berths by the ICSA Selection Committee. The ICSA Selection Committee is charged with selecting the most competitive field of At-Large candidates for the National Championships. To be eligible, competitors must have competed at their respective conference championship. The winners from each of the six conference championships are granted an automatic qualification, leaving the selectors to fill out the remaining 12 spots for the final field of 18 competitors.
Fordham will play host to the championship on Saturday, November 7, and Sunday, November 8 in Rye, New York. Each event is a 14-race series, each approximately 25 minutes long, and the sailor with the low point total in each fleet at the conclusion of racing on Sunday is declared the national champion.