Cornell sailing performed well last weekend in both New Haven, Connecticut and Newport, Rhode Island.
Finishing fifth at the Yale Women’s meet and ninth at the Coed East Coast Showcase Tournament, the Red added two more top-10 finishes to its impressive fall slate.
With Nationals coming up in two weeks, both regattas served as perfect opportunities to compete in larger pools and against a tougher batch of competition. Specifically, the Yale Women’s meet allowed Cornell to sail against the 18 of the best teams in the country.
Results from this weekend also reinforced the legitimacy of the team, proving that its pair of top-five finishes a week prior was no fluke.
“We proved again that we’re one of the best programs in the country,” said senior captain Alex Fowkes, “We showed the depth of our program by competing really well two weeks in a row.”
The two regattas last weekend — both of which were relatively bigger compared to earlier meets — also provided more experience for the sailors who did not have as much time on the water.
“People did really well despite getting only a couple of sets before,” Fowkes said.
Still, the team did not finish off as strong as they began the sail for both of the events.
“[We need to] focus on improving consistency, mental toughness, and working together as a team,” Fowkes said.
“[The regattas were] good all around,” said assistant coach Daniel Thompson. “[We just need to work on] going out and executing.”
Thompson also expressed his slight disappointment in the weather, as the wind made sailing conditions far more difficult on Sunday. Still, the Red will likely encounter unideal weather on bigger stages, thus the inclement weather provided even more valuable experience to aid the team in the future.
Cornell will be back in action next weekend at the MAISA Women’s at St. Mary’s, Maryland and at the War Memorial coed conference championship at Kings Point, New York.