Oct. 15, 2007

Washington, D.C. - Former Georgetown All-American Andrew Campbell (F'06) became the first Hoya sailor to ever qualify for the Olympic Games this weekend, when he won the U.S. Laser Class qualifiers in Newport, R.I.

"I am extremely happy for Andrew," said Georgetown University head sailing coach Michael Callahan. "Andrew is a perfect representative for the sport of sailing, the United States and Georgetown University. He has been able to gain national recognition during his early career, but this is a great opportunity to make his presence felt on the world stage. It is also great for the Georgetown program that someone like Andrew is still competing at such a high level."

Campbell finished the 16-race qualifier tied with Brad Funk at 44 points, but advanced to the 2008 Games on August 8-24 in Beijing, China on a tiebreaker - Campbell's five first-place finishes were one better than Funk's four. The duo outpaced the field of the top-33 Laser sailors in the United States, as the next competitor totaled 89 points.

Campbell entered Saturday trailing by six points through the event's first 11 races, but placed in front of Funk in all three starts on the day to take a five point lead going into Sunday's final two races. Funk erased the deficit by taking first place and watching Campbell slip to seventh in the penultimate race, giving Funk a slim one point lead with only one race to go. In a tight battle for the lone Olympic qualifying spot, Campbell edged Funk by mere feet to take second place and tie the final tally at 44 points.

For video highlights of Campbell's weekend can be seen by clicking here.