STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford opened up the spring slate with a dominant showing en route to the regatta win at the McIntyre Team Race this past weekend.
Fielding a pair of teams, the two Cardinal crews went a combined 21-1 on Saturday to finish first and second in the regatta over a 12-team field. UC Santa Barbara was the next closest finisher with an 8-3 weekend record to place third.
The teams returned to the water on Sunday, but challenging wind conditions halted the action after just five races. As a result, it was decided that final regatta standings would be solely based on Saturday's
"The ability to sail two teams really added to the event," head coach Chris Klevan said. "Operationally, we are one team with two massive goals, winning an Open championship and defending our crown as women's national champions to complete the three-peat."
The Cardinal "1" team, led by skippers Reade Decker, Dylan Sih, and Thomas Whidden, and crew Piper Blackband, Caroline Geiger, and Abby Baird, finished 11-0 on the weekend. including four 1-2-3 sweeps over Cal Poly, Northwestern, UC San Diego, and UC Santa Cruz.
Ellie Harned, Sophie Fisher, and Alice Schmid skippered the second Cardinal squad to a 10-1 record alongside crew members Kit Harned, Alexandra Jones, and Shay Wood. The second boat also tallied three 1-2-3 finishes against Clemson, USC, and UC Santa Cruz, with their only loss coming against their Stanford teammates.
"I believe we can achieve our goals this season, but not without laying the right foundation," Klevan added "The work on the foundation really started last weekend, but I was glad to see the group taking strides in the right direction."
Stanford returns to Redwood City next weekend, as it hosts the Top-9 Invite and the Bryson Women's Fleet Race.