With overcast skies and strong current in Wilmington, NC State sailors placed 2nd in this past weekend's SAISA North Points #4 conference regatta just behind perennial powerhouse, the College of Charleston. A-fleet skipper Benton Morton, a Wilmington native, and crew Paulina Spencer had an especially strong showing with two race wins and no finishes lower than fifth out of nice teams competing. B-fleet sailors David Rogers and Daniel Hemstreet also stayed near the top of the pack finishing each race in fourth or better with back-to-back seconds to finish the regatta. This was Hemstreet's first regatta back on the water after being sidelined with an early season injury.
Below is a brief video of NC State rounding the mark in 1st during the third A-fleet race of the day.
"Figuring out how the current was flowing early was really important to sailing fast today. After that, we just stayed focused and kept fighting for position all day," said NC State race team captain David Rogers. "Thanks to UNC-Wilmington for hosting today. It was a great regatta and it's always fun to do well."
Full scores from the weekend are online at http://scores.collegesailing.org/f13/saisa-np-4-uncw/. With this regatta complete, NC State is currently 3rd in SAISA North season standings.
This coming weekend, NC State will sail in two separate regattas, a conference contest SAISA North Points #5 hosted by Georgia Tech in Atlanta, and SailPack sailors will also race at the Virginia Open hosted by the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. This will be the first time in a long time where NC State has two squads on the water at different regattas, a great reflection on the depth of talented sailors and strong commitment of NC State student-athletes.
