No. 3 Bulldogs Compete at Southern New England Team Race

March 28, 2008

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - After having one of the most successful weekends in the team's recent fleet racing history last Saturday and Sunday in winning an Ivy League Championship and two major intersectionals, the No. 3 Bulldog sailors are switching their focus this weekend to team racing, a discipline that Yale took second at nationals in 2007. The Bulldogs will be competing on Saturday and Sunday at the Southern New England Team Race hosted by the Coast Guard Academy and Connecticut College. The team will also send a squad to the Southern Series Three event hosted by Salve Regina on Saturday.

For the Bulldogs, the Southern New England Team Race is a great warm-up event for the championship season. The Southern New England Team Race is the largest and most competitive collegiate team race in the country and will boast 18 teams, including eight of the top 10 ranked teams in the nation.

Yale has enjoyed success at the event over the years. While the Elis only placed fifth last year after having a great first day in which they went 13-1, the team has won the event with two of the same sailors who will be competing this year. The Bulldogs won the event in 2005 and 2006, regattas in which seniors Zachary Brown and Abigail Coplin, both members of the current team race team, competed. Experience will again be on the team's side as everyone who will be sailing for the team, except for sophomore skipper John Kempton, competed at the event in 2007.

Competition will begin for the Bulldogs on Saturday at Coast Guard in their group of nine schools. Based on Saturday's results, the top five teams from the Coast Guard and Connecticut College venues will compete in a championship round at Connecticut College while a consolation round will be held at Coast Guard.

The Elis will also work on improving all aspects of racing at the Southern Series Three fleet race event hosted by Salve Regina. The Bulldogs won the event last year with an 83-point total over nine races at the nine-team event.

Report filed by Caleb Dorfman '09, Yale Sports Publicity