APRIL 20, 2020: Conference superlatives recognize outstanding student-athlete achievements in competition, as well as through sportmanship, leadership and contributions to team, conference, community, and sport. Student sportsmanship and Corinthian spirit is a foundation of College Sailing and SAISA. Coaches and graduate leaders are also an important part of the success of College Sailing. This spring, the All-SAISA Awards Committee, a team of volunteers both coaches and student-athletes, read and considered numerous nominations submitted online and results from competition to decide upon the best of the best. Three award winners have been recognized including Marina Barzaghi of the University of South Florida for the SAISA Outstanding Sportsperson of the Year; Allison Chenard of the University of Georgia for SAISA Undergraduate Leader of the Year; and Dana Magliola of NC State University as SAISA Coach / Graduate Leader of the Year. Congratulations to all three!

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APRIL 17, 2020: Conference superlatives are new to SAISA in the 2019-2020 season and we are excited to formally recognize the great things happening on and off the water in the South Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association conference. To make this happen, we asked a team of volunteers, both coaches and student-athletes, to do the heavy lifting of reviewing regatta results, individual sailor performances over the two seasons in review (Fall 19/Spring 20), and to read and consider all of the great nominations submitted online. Working closely to identify and recognize outstanding performance and competitive contributions made by SAISA student-athletes, the All-SAISA Committee selected superlatives in Coed skipper, Women’s skipper, coed or women’s crew, and keelboat performance. The committee also reviewed nominations for SAISA Outstanding Sportsmanship Award, as well as the Coach/Leader of the Year which will be announced in the next few days.

Focusing on today’s announcement, the coed and women’s sailors were selected based on results throughout the college sailing year, with a strong emphasis on quality and quantity of events sailed. Special emphasis was also placed on competition and results in SAISA events i.e. Conference Championships. The committee also recognized the all-team effort for offshore and keelboat sailing this year and that larger boats have many roles incorporated, so the award recognizes a team as opposed to an individual sailor or sailors. For crew selections, the committee based their decisions on results throughout the college sailing year, with a strong emphasis on quality and quantity of events sailed, while special emphasis was also placed on competition and results in SAISA events i.e. Conference Championships. Additionally, crews were selected with consideration in competing in both Women’s and Coed. Crews who dramatically improved the results of the people they sailed with were also considered. Seniority and leadership were used as tie-breaking factors.

Please recognize and congratulate this year’s All-SAISA award winners: 

All-SAISA Coed Skippers: First Team

Jack Brown ’21, College of Charleston
TJ Danilek ’22, Clemson University
Alfonso Garcia Bringas ’20, Jacksonville University
Andre Guaragna ’20, Jacksonville University
Steven Leuck ’20, College of Charleston
Richard McCann ’22, University of Miami
Alie Toppa ’20, College of Charleston

All-SAISA Coed Skippers: Second Team

Marina Barzaghi ’21, University of South Florida
Telmo Basterra ’21, Jacksonville University
Patrick Eaton ’21, College of Charleston
Jack Gower ’20, Jacksonville University
Scott Harris ’22, North Carolina State University
Chris Kiener ’21, Jacksonville University
Connor Ratcliff ’21, Eckerd College

All-SAISA Women’s Skippers: First Team

Marina Barzaghi ’21, University of South Florida
Kathryn Bornarth ’21, University of South Florida
Kaitlyn DeLisser ’20, University of Miami
Paula Resto ’20, Jacksonville University
Charlotte Rose ’22, Jacksonville University
Nicole Simon ’20, College of Charleston
Alie Toppa ’20, College of Charleston
Marian Frances Williams ’21, College of Charleston

All-SAISA Women’s Skippers: Second Team

Emilia Giovine ’22, Clemson University
Sydney Monahan ’23, University of South Florida
Ainsley Parramore ’20, Eckerd College
Maartje van Dam ’23, Jacksonville University

All-SAISA Crew
Grace Benzal ’23, Jacksonville University
Caroline Bourgeois ’22, Jacksonville University
Jenn Casey ’20, Clemson University
Emily Essi ’21, College of Charleston
Liam Farese ’22, Eckerd College
Sara Flowerday ’22, Jacksonville University
Olivia Gregg ’22, North Carolina State University
Grace Harden ’22, University of Miami
Sandra Heilshorn ’23, University of Miami
Elizabeth Johnson ’21, Jacksonville University
Samantha Kappaz ’21, University of South Florida
Camryn Kennedy ’21, Eckerd College
Virginia Kilbourne ’20, Eckerd College
Hannah Kinder ’21, College of Charleston
Katherine Lounsbury ’20, College of Charleston
Jackie Morrison ’22, Eckerd College
Noelle Owen ’23, College of Charleston
Carolina Perez Rovira ’22, University of South Florida
Madison Reynolds ’21, Jacksonville University
Natasha Scott Morton ’22, College of Charleston
Hunter Skinner  ’20, College of Charleston

All-SAISA Keelboat Performance Award
College of Charleston

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The ALL-SAISA Awards Committee includes:
Conner Blouin, College of Charleston
Allison Chenard, Univ. of Georgia
Ward Cromwell, College of Charleston (ex officio, liaison ICSA All-American Committee)
Esteban Forrer, Jacksonville U.
Brendan Feeney, Eckerd College
Olivia Gregg, NC State Univ.
Allison Jolly, Univ. of South Florida

The past two weeks have been great for SAISA teams and the conference as a whole. We’ve seen strong performances from SAISA teams in big events out of conference, teams qualifying for SAISA Champs in both divisions, and new and younger SAISA teams participating and helping to grow our conference.

Photo (c) FSU Sailing

In week 6, SAISA held the final weekend of conference points events. From sunny St. Petersburg, Florida, SAISA South Points #4 saw light conditions matched by a determined race committee chaired by SAISA alumnus Kevin Reali, ESQ. With 14 squads on the water, the home team Eckerd College Tritons jumped out to an early lead and never looked back despite strong competition USF and Miami. With the regatta win, the Tritons secured first place in the South Division for the fall season jumping two spots over Jacksonville University and the University of Miami. Together with the Fins, Hurricanes, and Tritons, the Bulls of USF, the University of Florida Gators, and the Florida State Seminoles each qualified for SAISA Fall Co-ed Conference Championships. Here are the final standings for SAISA South.

In the north, teams descended upon Lake Lanier for SAISA North Points #4 hosted by Georgia Tech. Favorable conditions greeted sailors on Saturday morning and the Clemson University Tigers dialed in a wire-to-wire regatta win. A highlight of the Tigers’ win was the performance of Jenn Casey and Hannah Oswalt winning B-division and securing the Week 6 SAISA Sailors of the Week honor. In the battle for second, a close contest between the NC State Wolfpack and the host Georgia Tech Ramblin’ Wreck came down to the final race where the squad from Raleigh edged out the home team with a final race bullet. This regatta was a nice return to the water for the Hurricane Florence-impacted UNC-Wilmington Seahawks who finished their first regatta of the season in 4th. For the North division, the College of Charleston Cougars secure a berth to SAISA Fall Co-ed Conference Championships finishing the season first in the division, followed by the Clemson Tigers. With a 2nd place at North Points #4, NC State jumps two spots to finish 3rd in the division for the season followed by Univ. of South Carolina, Georgia Tech, and the University of Georgia, all of whom qualified for Champs from the North Division. Here are the final standings for SAISA North.

Photo (c) Rob Migliaccio

Week 6 was a busy one for SAISA teams traveling out of conference. In Providence, Brown University hosted the Showcase Women’s Finals where the College of Charleston and the University of South Florida competed against women’s teams from NEISA, MAISA, and PCCSC in cold and shifty conditions on the Providence River finishing 10th and 16th overall respectively. While just a few clicks north, Boston University hosted the Showcase Women’s Final B where SAISA’s Jacksonville University Fins and Eckerd College Tritons competed against NEISA, MAISA, SEISA, PCCSC and MCSA teams on the always-unpredictable Charles River. With a strong start, even leading the regatta, Jacksonville finished the event with a third-place podium finish followed by Eckerd in 11th.

Photo (c) NC State Sailing

In MAISA territory, the College of Charleston competed in the inaugural Oyster Bowl Regatta at St. Mary’s College of Maryland where the Cougars won both divisions of this regatta sailed in two separate combined fleets. Just down the road in Newport News, Virginia, NC State competed in the Webb Trophy Regatta hosted by Christopher Newport University where the Wolfpack finished 5th overall in this combined fleet regatta.

Photo (c) USNA Offshore Sailing

In keelboat racing, the College of Charleston competed in the annual McMillan Cup Regatta at the US Naval Academy. Sailed in the beautiful Navy 44 yachts, the Cougars were the only non-military school in the competition and completed the two-day event in second place overall. Just a short distance up the Severn River, Navy also hosted their annual Small Keelboat Invitational where SAISA sailors from the University of Georgia and NC State raced Colgate 26s against teams from NEISA, MAISA, and MCSA finishing 8th and 10th overall respectively.

Week 7 was a relatively quiet weekend in-conference with only one event on the calendar, the Rollins College/SAISA Developmental Regatta. In it’s first year on the schedule, the host Rollins College Tars welcomed teams from across Florida to picturesque Lake Virginia including USF, New College of Florida, and Florida Tech. Even with light conditions, the event which is a part of a conference-wide initiative to provide more racing and learning opportunities for developing teams, was a success. With six races in each division, the USF Bulls secured a regatta victory followed by New College and the host Rollins Tars. A noteworthy 2nd in A-Division from the Florida Tech Panthers is a highlight for this young program. Thanks to Coach Herbster and Rollins College for putting on a great event. We look forward to seeing this regatta grow in years to come.

Out of conference, SAISA teams faced fierce competition in interconference action. In blustery New Haven, sailors from the College of Charleston and the University of Miami squared away against teams from both NEISA and SEISA at the Yale Women’s Regatta. Starting the regatta off right, the Cougars secured a bullet in the first race of the day in A-Fleet, and continued to remain near the front of the fleet for the remainder of the day finishing the event in third a point ahead of Harvard. Further along the leaderboard, the Hurricanes from the University of Miami, traveling more than 1,300 miles to reach New Haven, found themselves in a tight battle with the newest varsity program in college sailing, the Green Wave of Tulane. Gale force winds kept sailors off the water on Sunday cutting this event back to a one-day contest.

Photo (c) Ken Legler

SAISA teams were also active in the weekend’s Showcase regattas, the Fiske-Harriman-Sleigh Trophy Coed Showcase at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, and the Truxtun Umsted Coed Showcase at the US Naval Academy. From the St. Marys River, the Jacksonville University Fins and College of Charleston Cougars faced off against teams from MAISA and NEISA. In A-fleet, Cougar sailor Augie Dale and crews Katherine Lounsbury, Carter Cameron, and Oliver Parsons shredded the gnar to a first-place division win over the Polar Bears of Bowdoin College. Waves and spray also greeted the Jacksonville Fins who, like many of the teams facing the windy conditions, took advantage of a deep bench to get several of their sailors into the mix.

Just up the Chesapeake Bay to the Severn River in Annapolis, the Eckerd College Tritons and the USF Bulls faced teams from MAISA, NEISA, and MCISA at the annual Truxton Umstead Regatta, now a co-ed Showcase event. In great racing conditions, Eckerd’s Raz Sayre, Camryn Kennedy, and Liam Farese dialed in a strong showing in A-fleet placing second overall including leading the division for much of the regatta. USF women’s skipper Marina Barzaghi and veteran crew Darby Capellin kept the Bulls in the mix with low finishes and a bullet in the fifth race of the day. With the completion of the Trux, the inaugural Showcase series draws to a close.