April 17, 2002

WASHINGTON, D.C.— The Georgetown University sailing team competed in four regattas this past weekend, highlighted by a first-place overall finish at the Arrigan Memorial regatta.

The conditions were near perfect as Georgetown hosted Arrigan Memorial regatta where the Hoyas took first place for the fourth time in a row. Georgetown had strong races in both divisions and was able to keep foe, St. Mary’s at bay. The pair of Byron LaMotte (Oxford, Md./The Hotchkiss School) and Dorothee Bergin (Wellesley, Mass./Wellesley) sailed for first place in the A division while Mimi Elliott (Coeur d’Alene, Idaho/The Hotchkiss School), Scott Driskel (Virginia Beach, Va./Norfolk Academy), and Katherine Penberthy (Rowayton, Conn./The Taft School) finished second in the B division. The Hoyas ended the day with a total score of 50.

Georgetown also competed in the Admirals Cup at King’s Point where their efforts brought them to an eighth place finish with an overall score of 314. Strong winds were present on the first day of competition, but due to a lack of wind on the second day, the regatta was cut short to a one day event. The A division sailors, Ken Ward (Tampa, Fla./The Hotchkiss School), Leah Williams (South Dartmouth, Mass./Tabor Academy), and Steve Streit (Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich) and the B division competitors, Brian Bissell (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor), Melanie Wood (Skaneateles, N.Y./Skaneteles), and Streit had solid performances. However, C division sailor, Bill Jorch (Northport, N.Y./Northport) experienced some difficulties and finished at an undesirable 16^th place, which had effects on the team’s overall standings.

The Hoyas young squad of three sophomores and one freshman posted a commendable finish of 176 points at the Moody Trophy, held at the University of Rhode Island. The A division duo consisting of Tyler Haskell (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor) and Barbara Hall (Marion, Mass./Tabor Academy) was able to beat a number of tough competitors to finish in fourth place. Thatcher Spring (Nantucket, Mass./Belmont Hill) and Chris Harvey (Rillton, Pa./Greensburg Central Catholic) competed in the B division and sailed to a sixth place finish.

At the New York Maritime Dinghy Open, the women’s team had a strong appearance while sailing in tricky conditions. Elizabeth Sampson (Larchmont, N.Y./Mamroneck), Megan O’Neil (Huntington Beach, Calif./Mater Dei), Eliza Ryan (Marblehead, Mass./Marblehead), and Emilie Lincoln (New York, N.Y./The Hewitt School) contributed to the Hoyas fourth place finish.

The Hoyas sail again next weekend in the MAISA Women’s Regatta, Thompson Trophy, MAISA Freshman, UMBC Open, and the Delaware Spring Open.