KNOXVILLE, T.N., September 21, 2013 - Heavy rains early followed by light winds did not dampen the spirits and drive of NC State sailors at today's the South Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association regatta North Points #2, hosted by the University of Tennessee. With a victory today, NC State scores its first ever regatta win on record while also making a strong showing against ten conference teams including the 2012 Gill Coed National Champions, the College of Charleston Cougars, as well as SAISA North perennial challengers Georgia Tech and Clemson. With the win, NC State now ranks third in the SAISA North division after the first two regattas of the Fall 2013 season.
With three races today in each of two divisions, North Points #2 proved to be a typical light-wind lake regatta, with favorable conditions to NC State sailors who practice on a similar facility at Lake Wheeler in Raleigh. Wind gusted to around 8 knots in the morning, shifting to light and variable breeze as the day progressed. These conditions, coupled with the fact that NC State sailors completed each race cleanly without fouling or being over at the start, provided a perfect opportunity for NC State to clinch its first regatta in ICSA competition. A-Fleet was skippered by David Rogers (Jr., Mt. Pleasant, SC) with crew Matthew Dockstader (Fr., Charlotte, NC) and Chase Freeman (Fr., Atlantic Beach, NC), while B-Fleet was skippered by Paul Guntner (So., Advance, NC) with crew Cole Barclay (So., Suffolk, VA). Both A and B fleets finished with 10 points each (A: 2,4,4; B: 2,2,6) for a regatta total score of 20, beating the Cougars by one point. Full regatta results are available HERE.
"Making it to district champs these past two years was a great sign of building sustained success for our program in a competitive conference. Having a win not only helps us in the standings, but shows us that winning is within our reach," said junior skipper and Race Team captain David Rogers (Mt. Pleasant, SC). "I hope we'll see NC State sailors with future wins just like it."
“It’s great to see this NC State program develop from a club team into a consistently-competitive presence at SAISA and ICSA regattas. The hours of hard work at our practices, on and off the water, in the gym or in the boathouse, are paying off for our student-athletes,” said SailPack Foundation board chair and one of two volunteer coaches, Dana Magliola. “It’s a great win and we’re all very proud of their performance.”
The Sailing Club at NC State was founded in 1954 and remains the oldest active student sports organization at NC State University. As a part of the Sailing Club, NC State fields both coed and all-women's competitive teams to race in fall and spring seasons against other university sailing teams from around the country. The SailPack Foundation supports the sailing team and club, as well as sailing in the Triangle community. For more information about the program or foundation, visit www.SailPack.org.
For more information, contact Dana Magliola at 919.946.5445 or via [email protected].
A PDF version of this press release is available HERE.
