Sailing Claims Fowle Trophy

The three spring national championships concluded, the Harvard sailing team has brought the Fowle Trophy, indicative of a first-place finish among the six combined national championships, back to Cambridge for the third straight year.

The Crimson placed eighth in the women’s regatta, and despite the low finish, made significant progress this spring. Having qualified for all three regattas this season, Harvard’s place in the middle of the pack is an example of the depth of the team.

“Having teams qualify for each of the three Nationals is an important accomplishment,” junior co-captain Jennie Philbrick said earlier this season. “We’ve got a really strong team with a great depth of sailors.”

The Crimson’s depth and talent were prominently displayed in both the Team Racing regatta and the Coed Dinghy championship, each of which the Harvard won outright.

“The triumphs in the Team Racing and Coed Dinghy events were in very different sailing conditions, but each was truly a team effort,” senior Clay Bischoff said. “We had a great mindset throughout the regattas, staying focused through the highs and lows.”

In the Team Racing regatta, faced with strong competition from teams such as Georgetown and Tufts, the Crimson dropped its opening match in the round of eight to the Hoyas. Harvard rebounded, however, winning five of its next six races and finished in the top spot with a 5-2 record.

That convincing win was not the highlight of the Crimson’s championship week experience, however. The team was at its best in the Coed Dinghy championship, which it won by a 69-point margin.

After day one, though, Harvard found itself 13 points behind St. Mary’s, the winner of the Coed Dinghy championship in 2002. But after the first day, the wind picked up, and so did the Crimson.

With breezes gusting up to 17 knots, Harvard executed a 61-point turnaround, and ended the second day of racing up 48 points, en route to the nearly 70-point blowout of second-place Hawaii.

“In the fleet racing event, we steadily built our lead by taking each race one at a time,” Bischoff said. “We think the final winning margin of 69 points is the best in the last twenty years, maybe ever.”

And in addition to strong team performances, the individual awards for the sailing season that were handed out by the Intercollegiate Sailing Association had a decidedly Crimson tint.

Freshman sailor Genny Tulloch was named an Honorable Mention All-American, after both a strong season—including a first-place finish at the New England championships—and a similarly exceptional third-place finish in the A division of the championship.

“Genny has had an amazing freshman year,” senior Michelle Yu said. “I think she has come a long way in perfecting the type of sailing that wins regattas: simple starts, conservative tactics and consistency above all else. Winning A division at the New England Championships is no small deal, and I was excited to see her compete at Nationals.”

Tulloch’s individual award is certainly a noteworthy accomplishment, and teammates Yu and Kikuchi were also recognized as All-American crew members. Potts was another All-American, winning the honor as one of the best skippers in the country. Bischoff was likewise recognized as an All-American, but further honored as the College Sailor of the Year, following in the footsteps of Sean Doyle ’02, for his incredible 42-point victory in the A division of the Coed Dinghy championship.

—Staff writer Timothy M. McDonald can be reached at tmcdonal@fas.harvard.edu.