PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Cardinal continued its spring campaign over the weekend, taking second at the Dellenbaugh Women's Team Race and seventh at the Marchiando Trophy.
Stanford faced stiff competition at the Dellenbaugh, battling against the likes of Yale, Dartmouth, Brown, Cornell, and other schools in the 11-team field. Yale was ultimately victorious, earning a 14-2 record, just two wins ahead of Stanford's 12-4 result.
"This was a great test for how prepared we are for nationals," said the Malin Burnham Assistant Sailing Coach Augie Dale. "We were in the fight for every race."
The Cardinal only dropped four of its 16 races, falling to Yale in each of the three rounds and to Dartmouth during the opening round.
Stanford sailed a strong group of six competitors, led by Ellie Harned, Michelle Lahrkamp, Sophie Fisher, and Hannah Freeman as the skippers in the event. Shay Wood and Grace Austin served as crews for the races while Harned and Fisher also crewed at times.
Meanwhile, at the Marchiando Trophy in Cambridge, Massachusetts, The Cardinal claimed fourth overall and a 9-9 record over two days of racing. Stanford finished behind Harvard, Dartmouth, and Brown in the overall standings.
"We saw glimpses of greatness. I believe we may have something special," said head sailing coach Chris Klevan. "The coaching staff and those leading the team, such as Captain, Gwendolyn Donahue are pushing this amazing group of youngsters and we can feel the frustration and the determination. We have an important couple weeks ahead. It won't be easy but nothing good ever is."
The Stanford squad at the Marchiando featured six underclassmen, including five freshmen. First year skippers Thomas Sitzmann and Reade Decker led the way along with sophomore Vanessa Lahrkamp.
Freshmen Alice Shmid, Luke Woodworth, and Alexis Young all served as crews alongside senior captain Gwendolyn Donahue throughout the two days of racing.
Stanford's best round of the competition came in the second, where the team amassed a 4-2 record including wins over Dartmouth, Miami, Harvard, and Tulane.
"The team showed moments of pure genius, but also made many mistakes," said assistant coach Shawn Harvey. "We're young, hungry, and have a good work ethic. We will decrease the number of mistakes in the next couple of weeks."
Stanford returns to the water next weekend as the conference title competitions begin with the PCCSC Women's Championships.
