The Tufts co−ed sailing team continued the season's success this weekend, winning the annual Hap Moore Team Racing Trophy hosted by the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. The Jumbos finished the weekend with a 13−2 record, narrowly defeating second−place Boston College.
The event included 11 teams and featured three different two−man boats. The Tufts boats consisted of senior skipper Massimo Soriano with junior crew Madeline Luce, sophomore skipper Will Haeger with sophomore crew Paula Grasberger and junior skipper Will Hutchings with senior crew Reeves Bright.
Tufts won nine of 10 races in the round−robin format regatta, its only loss coming against Conn. College. Alongside Boston College, Roger Williams, Brown, Navy and the University of Vermont, the Jumbos were among the top six teams to make it into the second round. Boston College also posted a 9−1 record in the first round, but the Jumbos beat the Eagles in the head−to−head race, securing a first place lead going into the second round.
"We were really happy that we didn't lose a race to two of the top schools, Roger Williams and BC," Soriano said. "We managed to sweep them whenever we raced which was a huge confidence booster for us."
Tufts posted an impressive 4−1 record in the second round of the regatta. The Jumbos lost just one race to Brown, earning them a 13−2 overall record for the weekend. Boston College's two losses were against Tufts and Brown. Roger Williams came in third with 11 wins and four losses.
"We've always known we were pretty fast in terms of our boat speed. We've sailed this season pretty well at Coast … We've been really excited to see where we'd come in team racing wise," Soriano said. "Hap Moore had a bunch of big schools, but not necessarily the best teams in New England. And we fielded our best teams and were able to come out on top and that felt pretty good."
The Hap Moore Trophy is different from other fleet racing courses that Tufts has participated in.
"The emphasis is setting picks and blocking the other teams from slowing down your own teammates and ideally crossing the line in a 1−2−3 finish," Soriano said.
According to Soriano, Boston College, Roger Williams and Brown — the second, third and fourth place teams, respectively — were each missing one of their key players, meaning they were only fielding two out of their best three teams.
Boston College was missing senior Annie Haeger, sister of Tufts junior skipper Will Haeger, who was busy winning her third ICSA Women's Singlehanded National Championship in Chicago.
The victory continued the success for Tufts in races hosted by the Coast Guard Academy as the squad also finished second out of 20 teams in the Danmark Trophy on Oct. 1−2.
The Jumbos' freshmen also had success this weekend, winning the intersectional at Bowdoin thanks to a collective team effort.
"It was actually a really tight race, even though there were only six teams, and the weather was spectacular," freshman Alec Ruiz−Ramon said of the intersectional at Bowdoin. "After the first day, we were tied with Roger Williams, but by the end of the second day, we won by six points over Vermont. It was a great way to end the season as freshmen, and we're looking forward to watching the other teams race next week."
Tufts sophomores Eliza White and Solomon Krevans finished first at the Crews Regatta hosted by Boston University, four points ahead of second place Brown.
Next weekend, Tufts will race in the Atlantic Coast Championship at MIT.
"If we all sail like we have been throughout the season, it's unlikely that that positioning will change. We're in a good place going into the rest of the season," Soriano said.
