Cornell sailing won the Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association Fall Women’s Championship for the third consecutive season over the weekend.
Impressive performances in both the A and B division boats allowed the Red to hold first place for most of the tournament. The team finished with a total score of 63, scoring 32 in A division and 31 in the B division. The University of Pennsylvania finished in second place with a combined score of 73, while the United States Naval Academy coasted into third with a score of 98.
Nine races were held on Saturday, six in A division and three in B division, while 10 races were held the next day, four in A division and six in B division. Fourteen teams in total competed at the event, which was hosted by Hobart and William Smith College in Geneva, New York.
The Red sailing has enjoyed success at the event in recent years, winning the tournament in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
Junior crew Gabbi DelBello, a key contributor in the women’s victory over the weekend, was ecstatic that the team could go out with a win.
“I am so happy we get to end this season with a win, because it will allow us to start the spring semester confident in our ability to perform,” DelBello said.
She explained that the third consecutive championship win did not come easy, and that the competition was tough and set on stopping Cornell this year.
“The level of competition at this event was high, and our competitors had it out for us for sure,” DelBello said. “Having competitors strategically attack us on the water was a new experience for some, and a great taste of what the spring national qualifiers will be like.”
The coed team also sailed over the weekend and placed 10th out of 18 at the War Memorial competition, hosted by Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. The team closed out its performance Sunday with a total score of 207.
George Washington University took first with a 121 total score, while SUNY Maritime and Hobart and William Smith College took second and third with scores of 149 and 150, respectively.
Though the fall season has ended, the heat only turns up for the sailing team, with nationals rapidly approaching and a full spring season of tough competition ahead of them.
Up next are the Women’s Single-handed National Championship on Nov. 6 in Annapolis, Maryland. Cornell’s junior Lillian Myers and sophomores Lucija Ruzevic and Lauren Ehnot will be competing. After the Singlehanded Nationals competition, there will be an extended break from competition until the Rose Bowl Regatta in January.