Despite a young squad featuring two sophomore skippers, Georgetown once again placed near the head of the pack at the sailing nationals, recording two top-three finishes and earning six All-American honors.

The Hoyas placed third in both the Fleet and Team Racing National Championships, college sailing’s two main titles, in late May and early June in California. Georgetown won the Fleet Racing National Championship last year.

“We were one of the favorites to win [this year]. We thought we had a chance to win both of them, particularly team racing,” Head Coach Mike Callahan said, adding that the young team’s inexperience may have prevented a higher finish. “I think when you look at third place in two national championships, that’s not bad.”

In the initial group races of the team racing, Georgetown went undefeated and breezed into the gold round. In the gold round, however, Georgetown was bested by Yale, St. Mary’s College and Boston College. The Eagles won the title while the Seahawks finished second and the Bulldogs took fourth overall.

In the fleet racing, sophomore skipper Evan Aras led the B-division boat to a second-place finish. The Hoyas finished third overall behind St. Mary’s and Yale.

“Sailing in San Francisco Bay is the exact opposite of sailing in the Potomac,” Callahan said. The Hoyas practice on the Potomac which is known for light winds, while breezes at the national championships were around 15 to 20 knots. “I think that hurt us because we didn’t have the practice. We had a few good races but overall we were not quite ready for it. That’s not to say we didn’t do well. Third place is impressive, especially starting two sophomore skippers.”

One sophomore, Aras, earned All-American honors, while the other, A-division skipper Charlie Buckingham, was named college sailor of the year. The Hoyas’ crew garnered three more All-Americans: senior Carly Chamberlain and juniors Caila Johnson and Alexandra Taylor.

On the women’s side, the Hoyas placed seventh. Freshman Sydney Bolger was named an All-American following an impressive performance in her first appearance at nationals. The rookie led her boat to a second-place finish in the B-division.

With A-division skipper Emily Babbitt graduating, Bolger will be expected to fill her shoes next year. Callahan said he expects the women will be ranked slightly lower than usual when the season begins because of uncertainty about who will take over the B-division boat.

The coed side appears poised for another run at the national championships. Buckingham and Aras will be joined by Chris Bernard, the top recruit in the nation. The Hoyas will have depth and experience in the crew, with Taylor and Johnson entering their fourth years.

“I think we should be ranked in the top 10 to top 15 throughout the course of the entire year,” Callahan said. “If things go well we could be competing for more national championships at the end of the year.”

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