The NC State sailing team won the Jefferson Cup Trophy last weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia, putting a dominant showing over the course of the two-day regatta.
The A-fleet team of senior skipper David Rogers and freshman crew James Stonecypher posted four first-place finishes over the course of the weekend for the Sailpack.
Additionally, freshman skipper Mark Thompson and sophomore crew April Lamb dominated their events. The two led their fleet wire-to-wire and finished with a nearly two-to-one lead over the nearest opponent. Thompson and Lamb went on a six-race win streak and totaled ten first-place finishes in the twelve races in which they were involved.
The Jefferson Cup Trophy was introduced in 2014 as a showcase invitational college regatta and is hosted by the University of Virginia.
The event celebrates president and UVA founder Thomas Jefferson and featured teams from both the Mid-Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association (MAISA) and the South Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association (SAISA).
Teams competing in this inter-conference invitational included Virginia Tech, University of Maryland, Salisbury (Md.) University, American University, Catholic University of America, SUNY Stony Brook, NC State and hosts Virginia.
By the third race Saturday, Wolfpack sailors had secured first position in the competitive field. Despite facing strong challenges from the Virginia and Salisbury teams, NC State completed the 12 set regatta with a 26-point advantage over its closest competitor without dropping the lead.
“Trophy competitions are such an important part of college sailing, and this is NC State’s first trophy win,” NC State Head Coach Dana Magliola said. “It’s great to be able to bring some hardware back to Raleigh, and this was an especially strong showing from our young squad, too, so we’ll surely look to build on this win.”
Next, Sailpack heads to the SAISA Match Race Conference Championships in St. Petersburg, Florida, hosted by the University of South Florida on Oct. 25.
