Hoya Staff Writer Tuesday, September 12, 2006
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Georgetown found that out over the weekend at both the Captain Hurst Bowl and the Riley after winning the more competitive A division but struggling in the B Division, losing its chance at winning each regatta. The Hoyas finished seventh and third in the two events, respectively, and also turned in a third place finished at the Fall Open and two middle-of-the-pack individual performances at the Navy Laser Open. The Captain Hurst Bowl in Hanover, N.H., the weekend’s premier collegiate regatta, revealed two things about Georgetown: Its A team is very strong, and its B squad is not. Junior Chris Behm and sophomore Carly Chamberlain garnered the victory in the A division, but the Hoyas’ 15th place finish on the B side knocked the Hoyas back to seventh place overall. Harvard finished first. “In the A Division, [Behm] and [Chamberlain] sail as well as anyone in the country,” Head Coach Mike Callahan (SFS ’97) said. “But 15th in the B division is not what we’re looking for. Our problem this year will be depth. . We’re not as deep as we’d like to be.” The Riley Cup in Norfolk, Va. revealed the same trend. Georgetown took third place with 103 points, behind Pennsylvania (99 points) and Washington College (100 points). Sophomores Nik Holton and Andrea Bailey won four of five races to finish first overall in the A division, but the Hoyas were only able to manage third in the B division – freshmen Marco Teixidor and Alex Taylor led the way with wins in three of the 12 races, but it was not enough to propel Georgetown to the top. “For Marco, it was his first ever college regatta so third place was fine,” Callahan said. At Cornell’s Fall Open in Ithaca, N.Y., Georgetown’s performances in the A division and the B side were much more even, yet the results were not the most important part of the trip. For Callahan, getting a sneak peak at Cornell, the site of the women’s national qualifier and a location with which the Hoyas are unfamiliar, was more important. Sophomores Emily Babbitt and Sprague Brodie finished third in the A division, while seniors Jessica Stewart and Theresa Salerno placed fourth in the B grouping. No. 2 Hobart William/Smith took home the gold with Cornell coming in second. “Emily sailed against all guys and there were no coaches up there, so I am happy with her performance at the regatta,” Callahan said. Finally, two Hoya sailors headed up the road to Annapolis, Md. to the Navy Laser Open, where senior Langdon Mitchell and freshman Hugh McBride battled tough conditions and finished 16th and 23rd, respectively. After the first weekend of the season, it appears clear to Callahan that finding an adequate B lineup will be the most pressing order of business. “At this point, it’s just a matter of who is in the B Division,” he said. “If one or more skippers step up, we can compete for a national championship. If we finish 15th again, then we, won’t.” Georgetown will have little time to reflect on its first weekend back in the water, however, as the Hoyas will compete in three regattas next weekend: the Nevins Trophy in Kings Point, N.Y., the Mrs. Hurst Regatta in Hanover, N.H. and the Ocean County Fall Regatta in Toms River, N.J.