At last weekend’s MAISA women’s championship, pouring rain and strong currents were not enough to derail the Georgetown women’s sailing team’s quest for a national championship. The Hoyas were able to take advantage of the challenging conditions, as they secured a berth in the ICSA women’s national championship with a second-place finish out of 11 teams.

“It was a tough place to sail, but we stayed focused and worked well together,” sophomore skipper Blaire Herron said. “We were able to talk a lot in between races about what was going on out on the water.”

Georgetown, ranked fifth in the latest Sailing World college rankings, finished the regatta with 73 total points. Navy came in first with 61 points, while Hobart/William Smith placed third with 86 points. New York Maritime College played host to the event.

Herron and her crew, freshman Carly Chamberlain, finished second in the A division with 41 points in 11 races, one point behind first-place Navy.

In the B division, Georgetown placed second after alternating its sailors early. In the first two races, senior skipper Derby Anderson sailed with sophomore crew Jamie Loeks. The Hoyas then used senior Jackie Schmitz as skipper with freshman crew Sprague Brodie for the following two races. Georgetown stuck with Anderson as skipper and Schmitz as crew for the regatta’s final seven races.

“We started out a little slow in both the A and B divisions,” Head Coach Mike Callahan said. “We moved some people around and found some good combinations, especially in the B division.”

After Saturday’s races, Georgetown stood in first place, one point ahead of Navy. The Hoyas needed to finish among the top five teams to qualify for the national championship.

“We went into Sunday pretty much guaranteed to qualify,” Callahan said. “We sailed conservatively on Sunday. Navy pushed a little bit harder than us.”

The Hoyas had to deal with rain and powerful currents throughout the regatta.

“There was a ton of current,” Herron said. “On Sunday the current was ripping, and that changes a lot of the decisions you make.”

According to Herron and Anderson, the weekend’s races were good preparation for the ICSA women’s national championship, which will be held May 25-26 at Charleston, a course known for its strong currents.

The Georgetown coed sailing team also competed in two regattas last weekend. At the MAISA Open, hosted by St. Mary’s College of Maryland, the Hoyas placed second out of 14 teams. Georgetown finished with 43 points, one point behind first-place Hobart/William Smith.

At the Thompson Trophy, hosted by the Coast Guard Academy, Georgetown finished with 317 points to place eighth out of 18 teams. Harvard won the regatta with 225 points.

The Hoyas received a strong performance from junior skipper J.B. Turney, who led Georgetown to a second-place finish in the B division.

The Georgetown coed squad will try to follow in the women’s team’s footsteps this weekend. The Hoyas can qualify for the ICSA Coed national championship with a top-four finish at the America Trophy, hosted by Old Dominion.

“We want to go out and win the regatta,” Callahan said. “We feel like this is the best team we’ve had in years, so we are excited about this opportunity.”