Four Weekend Regattas Send Cougars Up-and-Down East Coast

CHARLESTON, SC March 2, 2013 – Four weekend regattas will send the No. 1-ranked College of Charleston coed and No. 7-ranked women’s sailing teams up-and-down the East Coast for competition at the onset of spring break.

First up on the agenda will be the Graham Hall Team Race hosted by the U.S. Naval Academy on March 2-3 in Annapolis, Md. Last season, the Cougars placed third out of 16 teams in the 2012 regatta.

Senior All-Americans Ben Spector (Santa Clarita, Calif.) and Mac Mace (Newport Beach, Calif.) headline an experienced group that includes 2012 London Olympian Juan Maegli (Guatemala City, Guatemala), senior Cory DeCollibus (Duxbury, Mass.), freshman Seppie McAdams (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.), senior Brooks Clark (Newport Beach, Calif.) and freshman Ryan Davidson (Newport Beach, Calif.).

In addition, the Cougars will compete at the 10-team Eckerd Intersectional hosted by Eckerd College on March 2-3 in St. Petersburg, Fla. CofC will sail freshman Jake Reynolds (San Diego, Calif.), freshman Emily Stuart (Riverside, R.I.), freshman Kyle Sutter (San Diego, Calif.), freshman Jack Jorgensen (La Canada, Calif.), sophomore Tierney Driscoll (Bayport, N.Y.) and freshman Parker Rawlings (Lakeville, Conn.). The squad will look to improve on the program’s second-place finish at the event in 2012.

Having already won three North Points events this past fall at the #1 held in Knoxville, Tenn., #3 in Clemson, S.C., and #4 in Wilmington, N.C., the Cougars will vie for a fourth at the North Points #2 regatta on March 2 hosted by Clemson in Clemson, S.C. Freshman Dodge Rees (Pensacola, Fla.) will skipper A-Division with junior crew Courtney Alexander (Annapolis, Md.), while junior Katherine Baker (Cohasset, Mass.) will skipper B-Division with freshman crew Honore Johnson (Kingstown, R.I.) against teams from Auburn, Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, NC State, Tennessee and Georgia.

A home-hosted regatta will culminate the weekend of competition as the Cougars look to defend their title at the Charleston Women’s Intersectional on March 2-3 at the J. Stewart Walker Sailing Complex in Mt. Pleasant, S.C.

CofC will be represented by junior Grace Lucas (Little Silver, N.J.), freshman Michaela Reynolds (Providence, R.I.), sophomore Morgan Buckley (Yonkers, N.Y.), sophomore Kayla Gibson (Houston, Texas), freshman Beka Schiff (Tampa, Fla.), sophomore Clerc Cooper (New Orleans, La.) and junior Elizabeth Chambers (Mooresville, N.C.).

Cougars No. 3 In First ICSA Team Race Rankings Of Season…CofC was ranked No. 3 in the nation in the first edition of the ICSA Team Race Rankings sponsored by Sail1Design on Feb. 27. The Cougars, defending ICSA Team Race National Champions who will be a contender at each big regatta of the spring season, earned a 3.0 average in the ranking system behind No. 1 Georgetown (1.0 avg.) and No. 2 Yale (2.2 avg.). “One of the deepest teams in the country, the Cougars have four starters who can compete with anyone. Big question: will they gel like they did last year under the senior guidance of Zeke Horowitz? The Cougars will be on the prowl this season and will be a final four powerhouse.”