Yale Athletics
Both the Yale coed and women’s sailing teams overpowered their competition in three different events this weekend, taking first place at the Nicholas Barnett Trophy, Hatch Brown Memorial Trophy and the one-day Lark Invite.
While the Bulldogs managed to claim fifth place and second place at their two season-opening regattas last weekend, this weekend’s regattas marked a return to last year’s stellar performances with the Elis’ triple win. Still, all three regattas showcased the difficulty of winning across the board; in both the Hatch Brown Memorial Trophy and Nicholas Barnett Trophy, the Elis defeated the runners up by only a slim three-point margin, after shifting winds and puffy breezes tested the team in each of the three regattas. But, according to Dylan DiMarchi ’20, this weekend’s hard work paid off.
“[It was a] really stellar weekend for most of the team,” DiMarchi said. “It’s great to see such strong performance with new combinations of skippers and crew, and new first years taking to the college circuit so quickly. As the season continues, skipper [and] crew combinations will become more consistent.”
The Nicholas Barnett Trophy ended in a close finish, with the Yalies beating the host and the runner-up Bowdoin Polar Bears by only three points. However, the Bulldogs maintained a solid lead over their Ancient Eight rival Harvard, which finished the weekend at 216 points against Yale’s 148. Consistent winds on Saturday contrasted with Sunday’s breezes, which oscillated unexpectedly and required greater effort to navigate.
First year Teddy Nicolosi ’23 had a stellar start to his first season with the Elis. He skippered to victory in the B division alongside alternating crew members Helena Ware ’22 and Catherine Webb ’22.
While the Nicholas Barnett Trophy took the Elis up to Maine, another squad of Bulldogs traveled to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts for the Hatch Brown Memorial Trophy on the Charles River. Winds proved shifty on Saturday, and the skyscrapers flanking the Charles on either side caused choppy winds. Nevertheless, the Elis raced to victory, earning third place in both A and B divisions, while skipper Luke Arnone ’23 and crew Claudia Loiacono ’21 nabbed first place in the C division.
The Bulldogs also saw marked improvements to their score for the Hatch Brown Trophy, with the Elis jumping from fourth place in 2018 to first place in 2019.
“We’ve been really happy with the effort the team has been putting in so far this year,” head coach Zachary Leonard ’89 said. “It’s nice to have a weekend that shows we are on the right track. We hope that we can continue to work hard and keep improving.”
The Bulldogs’ third victory came at the Lark Invite at Tufts, when the Elis raced in Turbo Larks instead of their usual FJs.
Beyond the Bulldogs’ three team races, some Elis also participated in the NEISA Singlehanded Championships, which are split into male and female categories. In an impressive showing given their lack of collegiate experience, first years Petru Neagu ’23 and Nicholas Davies ’23 finished 11th and seventh, respectively, while two-time Championships veteran Louisa Nordstrom ’20 finished in third place in the women’s division, securing a spot at Nationals in November.
Yale sailors have represented the United States in each Olympics since 1992.
Valerie Pavilonis | valerie.pavilonis@yale.edu