ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Fresh off a new batch of national rankings, the Eckerd College coed program set sail over the weekend in New York City, Jacksonville and Hampton, Va., amidst tricky weather conditions along the East Coast.
The coed program received 35 votes in the
Sailing World College Rankings presented by Sperry Top-Sider, just on the brink of ranking in the top 20 nationally.
The Tritons finished ninth of 10 at the Admiral Moore Team Race in the Bronx, moved up to a fifth-place showing at the MAISA/SAISA and earned a runner-up placing out of seven at the fifth South Points Series event.
At the Admiral Moore Team Race, the Tritons battled 40-degree temperatures with wind chill that affected the field during the first-day of competition.
Eckerd sailed a total of 13 races on Saturday in a deep field.
“All the teams had to battle hazardous conditions,” summed EC Head Coach
Kevin Reali. “We had a lot of issues with boat speed, but we were able to remain competitive in four to five races on the first day. We ended up winning two races on Sunday, but could have won four.”
The competition (and weather) heated up on Sunday as conditions settled in the 50's at the team race. The field enjoyed and took advantage of lighter wind, making sailing much more comfortable on the final day of the regatta.
In Virginia, assistant coach
Zack Marks accompanied a unit at the MAISA/SAISA where Eckerd made an exciting late push to overcome Georgetown University in the closing moments.
After finishing Saturday in sixth and remaining in the same spot for most of Sunday, freshman
Tim Siemers carefully navigated around a capsized Georgetown boat that flipped over in the last race and helped EC hurdle the Hoyas in the final standings.
“We just needed to be patient all day and pay attention to what the breeze was doing,” said Marks. “Tim had two good finishes. We were just trying to keep getting consistent results and average out our scores with some good races.”
The Tritons finished ahead of district rivals University of South Florida and University of Miami at SP #5 after winning the first two races of the event. The field eluded several thunderstorms going by and dealt with a strong current that pushed boats around on Saturday.
The University of Florida fielded a strong squad with their best sailors and fended off the Tritons for first place.
Eckerd will head out to the West Coast next weekend to close out the month of March at the St. Francis Invitational in San Francisco, Calif. The 12th-ranked EC women will test out the field at the Dellenbaugh Women's Open in Providence, R.I.
