Boston College Athletics
Photo by: Robert Migliaccio
Sailing Heads South In Search Of National Glory
May 17, 2017 | Sailing, #ForBoston Files
Eagles head to Charleston looking for team national championship success.
There's nothing like a trophy season. Every sport has its own variation of it, and every athlete dreams of succeeding in it. It's the shortest, last part of a year, but it's the one that requires the hardest work.
After a highly successful fall season, Boston College sailing heads to Charleston, S.C. next week harboring hopes of trophy season glory. They'll compete among the nation's elite as part of three disciplines in an 11-day competition for the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association's highest honor.
"Not too many teams qualify for all three disciplines," head coach Greg Wilkinson said, "and only a handful of athletes will sail in all of those events. It requires a good amount of physical preparation. It's a lot because it's 11 days beginning right after graduation for some of our seniors, and we will need to be at our best."
The three disciplines contested in the spring are part of six disciplines crowning national champions. In the fall, the ICSA, the governing body for collegiate sailing, hosts national championship competitions in men's and women's single-handed (or one crew member) and match racing. In the spring, it rotates to a more team-based event, with a women's championship, a team championship, and a coed championship.
"Performing as a team captures the biggest challenge best (in the spring)," Wilkinson said. "We have three boats in a race against other schools, and our three boats have to work together to slow down our opponents. It requires everyone to understand the playbook and take control of a race. Whoever can work as a real team dictates what happens during the race, and you can really see the teamwork out on the water."
For BC, a chance to display that teamwork is an opportunity for national glory. The Eagles are members of the New England Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association, one of the nation's most premier conferences. Competing against national powerhouses like Yale, they consistently see some of the best the sport has to offer.
That's what makes the team's success all the more impressive. They finished second in the NEISA Women's Championship then chased it a week later with a third place finish in the Coed Championship. The team finished no worse than fourth since the start of April, including a victory in the Boston Dinghy Cup hosted by MIT.
"This is a very deep league, and all of the teams have similar styles across the board," Wilkinson said. "It's among the top two in competitive strength in the nation. So it's going to be helpful to have faced these teams. We've been able to compete against the top teams for most of the year, which is very helpful to our preparation (for the national championships)."
It sets the stage for a national championship where BC is expected to compete among the best. In the fall, senior Erika Reineke and freshman Scott Rasmussen won national championships in their respective singlehanded disciplines. It was Reineke's fourth individual national championship  and her second NEISA Sailor of the Year Award. Rasmussen, meanwhile, became the first ever male to win an individual championship in program history.
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Reineke joined only Annie Haeger, who competed for Team USA in the 2016 Olympic Games, as Eagles earning two-time Sailor of the Year honors.
"Erika is one of our skippers, and she's going to have a long week ahead," Wilkinson said. "We expect big contributions out of her. But we have Allison Ferraris, Hannah Lynn, and Lizzie Bohan on our crews as well. We will them in a lot of events, and Harry Koeppel and Scott Sinks will start for us as skippers. That will finalize our lineup for the first round."
It's a lineup that will meet a high intensity competition on the water. The women's and coed competitions will feature 36 teams in a two-round event. After the first round, the field will cut in half, with 18 boats advancing to the championship round. That's different from the three-round team discipline, which will cut 16 down to eight and again down to four to determine who wins.
"Each position in the boat has distinct jobs and roles," Wilkinson said, "and each boat has a strategy at the start of the race. We expect to see our team come together and get an opportunity to contend for a national championship. That's what it's all about, and it doesn't get any better than having the chance to get out on the water and compete for that recognition.
"Realistically, we have a good chance," he continued. "I'm not dreaming (about the team's opportunity). We are in a position to perform really well, and I hope for our athletes that they can have that chance. It's something that, right after graduation for our seniors, could really round out their BC experience."
Hosted by the College of Charleston, the championships begin on May 23rd with the Women's Dinghy National Championship and continue with the Collegiate Team Race before finishing with a May 30th through June 2nd run for the Collegiate Dinghy National Championship.
After a highly successful fall season, Boston College sailing heads to Charleston, S.C. next week harboring hopes of trophy season glory. They'll compete among the nation's elite as part of three disciplines in an 11-day competition for the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association's highest honor.
"Not too many teams qualify for all three disciplines," head coach Greg Wilkinson said, "and only a handful of athletes will sail in all of those events. It requires a good amount of physical preparation. It's a lot because it's 11 days beginning right after graduation for some of our seniors, and we will need to be at our best."
The three disciplines contested in the spring are part of six disciplines crowning national champions. In the fall, the ICSA, the governing body for collegiate sailing, hosts national championship competitions in men's and women's single-handed (or one crew member) and match racing. In the spring, it rotates to a more team-based event, with a women's championship, a team championship, and a coed championship.
"Performing as a team captures the biggest challenge best (in the spring)," Wilkinson said. "We have three boats in a race against other schools, and our three boats have to work together to slow down our opponents. It requires everyone to understand the playbook and take control of a race. Whoever can work as a real team dictates what happens during the race, and you can really see the teamwork out on the water."
For BC, a chance to display that teamwork is an opportunity for national glory. The Eagles are members of the New England Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association, one of the nation's most premier conferences. Competing against national powerhouses like Yale, they consistently see some of the best the sport has to offer.
That's what makes the team's success all the more impressive. They finished second in the NEISA Women's Championship then chased it a week later with a third place finish in the Coed Championship. The team finished no worse than fourth since the start of April, including a victory in the Boston Dinghy Cup hosted by MIT.
"This is a very deep league, and all of the teams have similar styles across the board," Wilkinson said. "It's among the top two in competitive strength in the nation. So it's going to be helpful to have faced these teams. We've been able to compete against the top teams for most of the year, which is very helpful to our preparation (for the national championships)."
It sets the stage for a national championship where BC is expected to compete among the best. In the fall, senior Erika Reineke and freshman Scott Rasmussen won national championships in their respective singlehanded disciplines. It was Reineke's fourth individual national championship  and her second NEISA Sailor of the Year Award. Rasmussen, meanwhile, became the first ever male to win an individual championship in program history.
Â
Reineke joined only Annie Haeger, who competed for Team USA in the 2016 Olympic Games, as Eagles earning two-time Sailor of the Year honors.
"Erika is one of our skippers, and she's going to have a long week ahead," Wilkinson said. "We expect big contributions out of her. But we have Allison Ferraris, Hannah Lynn, and Lizzie Bohan on our crews as well. We will them in a lot of events, and Harry Koeppel and Scott Sinks will start for us as skippers. That will finalize our lineup for the first round."
It's a lineup that will meet a high intensity competition on the water. The women's and coed competitions will feature 36 teams in a two-round event. After the first round, the field will cut in half, with 18 boats advancing to the championship round. That's different from the three-round team discipline, which will cut 16 down to eight and again down to four to determine who wins.
"Each position in the boat has distinct jobs and roles," Wilkinson said, "and each boat has a strategy at the start of the race. We expect to see our team come together and get an opportunity to contend for a national championship. That's what it's all about, and it doesn't get any better than having the chance to get out on the water and compete for that recognition.
"Realistically, we have a good chance," he continued. "I'm not dreaming (about the team's opportunity). We are in a position to perform really well, and I hope for our athletes that they can have that chance. It's something that, right after graduation for our seniors, could really round out their BC experience."
Hosted by the College of Charleston, the championships begin on May 23rd with the Women's Dinghy National Championship and continue with the Collegiate Team Race before finishing with a May 30th through June 2nd run for the Collegiate Dinghy National Championship.
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