CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Bowdoin College sailing team placed 17th last weekend at the Sperry Women's National Championship hosted by the College of Charleston. A complete Adobe Spark recap with photos and quotes from the athletes, is available below, as well as a recap from head coach Frank Pizzo.
Coach Pizzo's Report
Thirty six teams competed for the Women's National Championship hosted by the College of Charleston May 23-26. The field of thirty six teams was split into two groups of eighteen teams for the Women's Semi Finals with the top 9 from each group qualifying for the finals. The Polar Bears were in the Eastern Semi Finals, competing in FJs the first day and 420s the second day. The team started the event strong with a string of top nine finishes. Day 2 of the semi finals featured much stronger wind but the Polar Bears were able to hold their own, finishing 9th overall but with a comfortable margin over the tenth place team. Mimi Paz '17 and Nora Cullen '18 sailed particularly well during the semi finals, finishing fourth in A-division with a 1-8-2 scoreline. With the team earning the final qualifying spot out of NEISA on tiebreaker over Harvard, we were excited to qualify for the finals.
The Women's Finals no doubt proved to be a competitive event. The first day of the finals featured very windy conditions with a max ebb tide during racing which made for challenging racing. The current made starting very difficult and the Polar Bears struggled with putting complete races together. The team improved a bit during the second day but ultimately finished 17th overall. The entire team sailed in the finals including Mimi Paz '17, Nora Cullen, 18, Isabelle Austin-Green '19, Caitlin Tardio '19, Ellis Price '18, Dana Bloch '17, and Emily Gonzalez '20. The regatta concluded a fantastic four year career for Mimi Paz '17 and Dana Bloch '17. Both have been major contributors to the program all four years.
