'Cliffe Sailors Enter Eliminations Almost Certain to Gain a Berth

Radcliffe's sailing team, national women's champion for the past three years, goes into elimination tomorrow at M.I.T. for this June's championship, and the Crimson seems a shoo-in for one of the three New England berths.

Radcliffe sailed to a first and two seconds in major regattas during the last two weeks, finishing behind Salem State and M.I.T. and then taking a win over the Engineers last Sunday.

M.I.T. and the Crimson should dominate tomorrow's regatta with B.U. and Jackson a distant third. Salem State and Newton College each have one standout skipper, but no Division "B" boat good enough to complement the Division "A" entry.

Radcliffe's captain, Lisa Fulweiler, has trouble winning consistently but has beaten every skipper around at least once, while Barbie Grant gives the Crimson a strong one-two threat.

On Sunday in the women's sloop championships, Fulweiler, skippering for Grant and Angell, tied with M.I.T. for first in the four-team field and won the regatta on the tie break.

The victory was particularly sweet because the day before Radcliffe lost to the Engineers, 26-27, in a regatta that the Crimson hosted. Going into the final race Saturday, M.I.T. had to get a first-place to win the regatta, but was in fourth at the middle of the race. Then Fulweiler, in first place in the final race, fouled out and the second and third-place boats went to the wrong marker to give M.I.T. the race and the regatta.

Ironically, Radcliffe gained its victory Sunday in the sloop regatta in the same fashion when two boats in the final race went to the wrong markers.

The week before, on April 17, Grant-with Janis Stroud as crew-was second by a point to Salem State's ace skipper Trish Sheehan in a one-divisional regatta at U.R.I.