6/11/2002

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Georgetown University coed sailing team members Brian Bissell (Sr., Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor), Ken Ward (Sr., Tampa, Fla./The Hotchkiss School), Curtis Flood (Sr., Richmond, Kent./St. George’s School), Leah Williams (Sr., South Dartmouth, Mass./Tabor Academy) and Melanie Wood (Sr., Skaneateles, N.Y./Skaneateles) were named to the 2002 Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA)/Ronstan All-America team.  It was the fourth All-America honor for Williams, the third for Bissell and Ward and the first for Flood and Wood.  Georgetown sailors have garnered All-America honors 19 times over the last four years, which places GU among the top five schools in the country.

Bissell and Ward were selected to the ICSA/Ronstan squad as All-America skippers.  The two men just returned from Hawaii where they represented Georgetown in the North American Team Racing Championships, sailing to a third-place finish.  Bissell and Ward were also part of 2001 National Championship team.  The 2001 team title was the first national championship in program's history at the ICSA North American Team Racing Championship.  Flood was selected as an All-America Honorable Mention skipper and was also part of the 2001 National Championship coed team.

Williams and Wood were all selected as All-America crews.  Both women were also a part of the Hoyas’ 2001 National Championship Team.

The Georgetown coed sailing team was ranked as high as second in the fall preseason rankings of Sailing World Magazine.  The Hoyas began the spring ranked third and recorded first-place finishes at the MAISA Team Race Championship, the Charleston Team Race Intersectional, the Old Dominion Team Race, the Arrigan Memorial and the Georgetown Team Race. The Georgetown University sailing program is under the direction of fourth-year head coach Mike Callahan.