After a third-place finish in the South Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association (SAISA) Conference Championship regatta, hosted by College of Charleston and held April 17-18, NC State sailing finished as one of the top 18 teams in the country and qualified for the Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) Coed National Championship regatta. It is the first time NC State, whose sailing team started in 1954 and is the oldest in North Carolina, has qualified for the event in its nearly 70-year history.
NC State finished first in its regular conference season in 2019, but after failing to win its conference championship and missing out on nationals, NC State did everything necessary to qualify this year.
“Qualifying for Nationals has been a program goal ever since I came to NC State,” said junior skipper and coed team captain Scott Harris in the team’s press release. “This season we’ve worked so hard as a team to realize this goal and the effort has paid off. Our focus now shifts to training and getting ready for Nationals.”
On the first day of the SAISA conference championship, Harris and junior crew Olivia Gregg steered their way to a second-place finish in their division. Sophomore skipper Adam Larson and freshman crew Isa du Plessis finished just behind fourth-place South Florida in the B-division. NC State ended the day in third place overall and looked to hang on going into the second day.
With Jacksonville and College of Charleston firmly in the top two spots, the second day saw NC State try to hold off Miami (FL) and South Florida for the third, and final, spot for nationals. South Florida made a late surge as the Miami Hurricanes later fell out of contention, but the lead built up by NC State in races early in the day was too much for the Bulls to overcome. At the end of the day, it was the Wolfpack who secured that final berth for nationals.
“We are so proud of these student-athletes and our whole team who have made so many sacrifices and handled the adversity of COVID testing, protocols, and cancellations this year, and at the same time stayed focused on our goals,” said NC State sailing head coach Dana Magliola. “Our performance in Charleston showed just how far we’ve come and what’s possible for this program.”
The ICSA Coed National Championship regatta will be hosted by the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland and will be held between June 7-8. As a club sport and with no funding from the University due to COVID-19 restrictions, NC State sailing is currently raising funds to send the team to Annapolis. The team estimates it will need $8,500 to compete in the event.
