For the first time in program history, Cornell sailing qualified for the Coed ACC Open Finals after placing seventh in the Coed ACC Open Semifinals in Cambridge, Massachusetts last weekend. The other half of the team finished 10th out of 16 teams in the Stu Nelson Women’s Regatta in New London, Connecticut.
Head coach Lior Lavie was impressed with his athletes and their abilities to competitively compete as an all-girls squad against all male and coed teams.
“Within the women’s category, we have been qualifying for the finals, but for the open regattas, we have never done that before [qualify for finals]. The fact that we qualified this year is pretty unprecedented and speaks highly of our work ethic, level of practice and athletes on the team,” Lavie said. “We are making history.”
In the Coed ACC Open Semifinals, junior Bridget Green skippered all 14 in Division A. Sophomore Sophia Mulvania and freshman Kit Harned raced seven races as Green’s skipper.
The collaborative effort allowed the team to finish fifth overall within their division, with two first-place wins.
In Division B, sophomore Sophia Devling skippered for the Red with junior Amelia Neumann, sophomore Sophia Pearce and Harned, who rotated for the crew position. The squad finished 10th overall, with a second-place finish in one of the 14 races.
Lavie is excited to continue to prepare the athletes for the upcoming regattas while focusing on the well-being of the athletes.
“I think the level that we train is high, the level that they perform is high, and it is about maintaining that level and providing them with all the resources and support they need to maintain their bodies, mind and academics,” Lavie said. “For the finals, we expect a lot from ourselves to qualify and finish in the top nine. We have reflected on ourselves, and it is an achievable goal.”
In Connecticut, the Red participated in the Stu Nelson Women’s Regatta. Six Cornell sailors raced against teams from across the United States.
Senior Lauren Enhot and freshman Kate Moran finished 10th in Division A, while senior J.J. Smith and sophomore Maeve Katics finished eighth in Division B, with a third-place finish in one of their races. Senior Lucija Ruzevic and freshman Pilar Cundey finished seventh place in Division C.
Rachel Baez is a Sun contributing writer and can be reached at [email protected].