Results
FORT WORTH, Texas – The Eckerd College sailing program capped off a strong fall campaign by spending three days in the Lone Star State as part of the talented field competing for postseason glory at the ICSA Match Race National Championship hosted by the Fort Worth Boat Club.
The Tritons adjusted to variable weather conditions throughout the weekend and battled their way to a seventh-place showing with 10 programs in attendance.
EC was making an appearance at the Match Race Nationals for the first time since 2005. The team originally qualified back on Oct. 20 in Charleston, S.C., at the SAISA Match Race Championships.
Assistant Coach
Zack Marks guided the team through head-to-head competition as the Tritons sailed a J-22 with junior
Bob Savoie, freshman
Tim Siemers, freshman
Jessica Resnick and senior
Wes Byrne, manning the craft.
“This was a three-day event and it was mentally and physically taxing,” Marks said. “We had to make sure we were sailing our best every day in a wide range of conditions. I think we did well because a lot of them haven't sailed together before coming into this year.”
“The competition was very good,” he continued. “We'll return the core of three of the four so I'll think we'll come back and do well next year.”
On Friday, the field had to be patient due to the lack of wind and waited on shore to get started. Saturday's activity was completed with intermittent conditions and the final day of racing on Sunday was more ideal with consistent wind.
Competition began with all teams battling it out in a single round robin and the Tritons drew the No. 7 seed based on their finish coming out of Stage 2 and the Repechage Round.
EC dropped three races against eventual champion Tufts (Mass.) University as part of a No. 2/7 seed matchup in the Knockout Table of Stage 3.
The Tritons then moved on and were defeated by No. 6 University of Washington before toppling the California Maritime Academy for seventh in the semifinals, sweeping the Keelhaulers in two races.
“You could never look at any of these teams and think you were going to easily win one race,” Marks said. “Everyone was very good and the races were all close.”
Marks broke down some of the strengths of his team members and some of the roles they fill:
Bob Savoie (Skipper) - “He spent a lot of the summer in Chicago, which has a really great match race center. There are a lot of people that train and sail there. He learned a lot and that carried over to this year. You take input from everyone on the boat, but ultimately, he has the final say.”
Tim Siemers (Foredeck) - “He's up near the bow when we're doing starts and dial-ups. He's responsible for moving the jib around when we're at slow speed. Downwind, he does a lot of work because he has to set the spinnaker and staying active near the front of the boat. He spends his summers sailing J-22's as the foredeck. He came in with a lot of experience.”
Jessica Resnick (Crew) - “She's another freshman with keel boat experience. She's so small in stature and there's a 620-pound weight limit. It's important to have her on board to help us balance; she does a lot of odd jobs on the boat. She would also fly the Yankee flag which is very important.”
Wes Byrne (Crew) - “He's from Southern California, a hotbed for match racing. He had done more match racing than dinghy sailing before he came to Eckerd. He knew all the plays and trims the shoot downwind. Bobby and Wes were working together to make all the decisions.”
The Tritons' spring schedule for the coed and women's programs will be announced on EckerdTritons.com when they become available.
