This past weekend marked a crucial moment for Tufts' sailing teams, providing their last opportunity of the season to sail in regattas before the playoffs get underway.
For the co-ed team, the biggest event of the weekend was the prestigious Mid-Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association's (MAISA) Admiral's Cup, a tri-division intersectional regatta hosted at King's Point where the Jumbos took fifth place in a field of 19 teams.
Tufts' A division for the weekend consisted of sophomore skipper William Haeger along with classmate crew Paula Grasberger. Senior tri-captain Massimo Soriano combined with junior Madeline Luce and freshman Duncan Swain in the B division, and freshman Dan Nickerson represented the Jumbos in the C division, a single, non-dinghy (laser) division.
The A and B divisions, both dinghy races, scored consistently despite increased winds across both days of the competition, compiling total scores of 131 and 135, respectively. The competition was highlighted by a first-place finish in the 18th race of the A division and numerous other runner-up finishes for both squads. Nickerson, sailing solo in the laser division, tallied 172 points, highlighted by a fourth-place finish in the seventh race.
"We sailed well both days," Soriano said. "I think the regatta was a really good experience builder for Dan, as we will probably be counting on him in the future to fill one of our laser divisions at Navy regattas."
Overall, the team finished with 438 points, narrowly edged by SUNY Maritime College's 439, to place fifth at the event.
"We're looking toward the national semifinals at the Naval Academy in three weeks," Soriano said. "The Admiral's Cup was a good tune up, but there's going to be a lot of work between now and then to stay sharp."
For the women's team, this weekend was highlighted by the NEISA Women's Championship, Reed Trophy hosted by Boston College.
The Jumbos' A division - handled by junior skipper Natalie Salk and junior crew Amelia Quinn, who is also a features editor for the Daily, in races one through six and 13 through 17, and sophomore Sara Makaretz in races seven through 12 - managed sixth place within their group, scoring 118 points against tough competition.
Meanwhile, Tufts' B division was led by junior skipper Mariel Marchand, backed by a rotating crew of sophomores Barbara Murray, Makaretz and Julie Pringle. They added 179 points to the Jumbos' total in what was a roller-coaster day, with finishes ranging from runner-up in several races to 15th in others.
"According to [coach Ken Legler], this regatta was the most competitive women's regatta for this season," Makaretz said. "NEISA, the conference we're in, has a lot of awesome teams, and it's considered as competitive or even more competitive than nationals."
The Jumbos finished eighth out of 17 participating teams with a total score of 297 points, putting them just one spot shy of earning a spot in the national semifinals.
"It was a good regatta overall," Makaretz said. "It was up-and-down for a while, then the conditions worsened, but there was some awesome racing. Ken actually predicted that we would get eighth, and that's where we ended up."
While the women's season is now complete, the co-ed squad will compete in team races at the New England Championships, where the top three teams will qualify directly for nationals.
"It's not going to be easy to qualify, but we definitely have a shot," Soriano said. "Although we may have been a little off-pace this spring in team racing, we've shown that we can win team racing events last fall such as at the Hap Moore Team Racing Intersectional."
The New England Championships will be hosted by MIT on the Charles River on Saturday and Sunday.
