WILMINGTON, N.C., September 28, 2019 - From the first race of the morning it looked like it would be NC State's day. Coming into the final conference regatta of the regular season, SAISA North Points 4 at UNCW, the SailPack were atop the conference standings. As the team approached the start line on Banks Channel in Wrightsville Beach for the first race of the morning, the opportunity to win the division lay ahead, a landmark goal for the program.
Straight at the mark for NC State Sailing (Photo (c) Chenard Visuals)
NC State skipper Scott Harris (So., Wilmington, NC) and crew Olivia Gregg (So., Cary, NC) started their day by winning the best position at the start line, controlling the fleet from the starboard tack. With spotty shifts in the early races, Harris and Gregg made the right decisions to find pressure and outpaced the field in the first race for a win. Current was a factor throughout the day and the Wolfpack duo sailed decidedly up current with the fleet in check. The pair dialed in back to back podium finishes with a win to start the regatta and a close second in the next race. When NC State's second boat began its set, skipper Adam Larson (Fr., Charlotte, NC) and crew Robbie Dubman (Jr., Charlotte, NC) kept the rally going with a pair of bullets, first place race wins. Larson scores a win in his first collegiate race, signaling strong potential for the Sailpack freshman.
NC State's Adam Larson and Weatherley Tripp (Photo (c) Chenard Visuals)
Wilmington-native and NC State sophomore skipper Scott Harris was also optimistic after the strong start, "It's great to compete in my home venue with great people." Harris continued, "I love sailing for this team and am very excited for what the future holds."
As the afternoon sea breeze filled in, NC State continued to drive hard. After a slow start, the College of Charleston, SAISA North's premier varsity program and 2019 College Sailing National Champions, began to challenge with a win in the sixth race beating the Wolfpack by a boat-length. The Cougars then rallied to win the next six races, each over the Wolfpack. In the final set of the day Larson and debut crew Weatherley Tripp (Fr., Charlotte, NC) were at the front of the fleet early in both races, joined by the hard charging Cougars squad and the brief appearance of the UNC Tar Heels in the mix. Scoring just four points in the last four races, the Cougars kept Larson and Tripp at bay, but it just wouldn't be enough to overcome the NC State lead. The Pack finished the day with a wire-to-wire, five-point overall regatta victory, and secured their first SAISA North Division title ever.
"I'm very proud of the team because this has been a audacious goal for our program. The sailors on the water for us today won a tough contest, but they're a great reflection of their teammates because everyone's doing the work to make this happen," said NC State head coach Dana Magliola. "From our first regatta of the season through the full regular conference schedule, we've felt like the top spot was in reach."
"It was good to see more consistency out of our team today," said NC State sophomore crew Olivia Gregg. "We're really dialed in at this point in the season and looking forward to what's next!"
Airborne! (Photo (c) Chenard Visuals)
As the conference season draws to a close, the Wolfpack earn top position in the SAISA North Division and enter the SAISA Conference Championship on the first weekend in November as a top seed. The Pack will travel to the Olympic waterfront at Lake Lanier to compete against the top 6 teams from the North and South conference divisions. At the regatta, NC State will aim for another program first, an outright conference championship.
SAISA is the South Atlantic conference of the Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA), one of seven national conferences. The ICSA is the governing authority for college sailing in the United States and Canada. SAISA North is the conference division for teams in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama, more than 20 active, competitive programs. The other division, SAISA South, is all of the colleges in Florida. NC State has not won the SAISA North Division regular season title in program history.
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