STANFORD, Calif. - No. 1 Stanford sailing goes on the road for the first time this spring, set to compete in the Bob Bavier Open Team Race and the SMC Open Team Race this weekend.
The Cardinal has enjoyed a successful start to the spring slate, finishing first in each of its first three regattas.
LAST TIME OUT » Playing host to two more regattas in Redwood City on February 15-16, Stanford sailing secured two more event wins at the Bryson Fleet Race and Top-9 Invite.
Conditions proved to be difficult on Saturday with many races being called back, but a much more sailable environment on Sunday allowed for nine total races on the weekend in both events.
“It was another fun weekend on the Redwood Creek, hosting our third event in nine days," head coach Chris Klevan said. "It took a full team effort to put on the regatta for our conference and secure three victories to start the season."
The Bryson Women's Fleet Race saw the Cardinal score 56 points en route to the regatta title. Hawai'i came in second place with 77 points, while USC rounded out the podium with a score of 95.
In the A boat, Ellie Harned (races 1-2) and Ava Cornell (races 3-9) split skipper duties with Piper Blackband (races 1-2) and Alexandra Jones (races 3-9) served as crew. The group earned four top-3 race finishes to finish second in the division with 37 points, finishing only behind Hawai'i with 27 points.
The "B" division group scored the lowest of any crew in the event with 19 points, inlcuding 3 race wins and eight top-3 finishes. Alice Schmid served as the skipper in Saturday's opening two races alongside crew Ashtyn Tierney, before moving over to the crew position in the remaining seven races on Sunday while handing skipper duties to Kit Harned.
The Top-9 Invite saw another dominant performance from Stanford, scoring 74 points to cruise to victory over Hawai'i (115 points), UC Santa Barbara (138 points), and San Diego State (147 points).
Skippers Dylan Sih (races 1-2) and Chapman Petersen (races 3-14), and crew Shay Wood (races 1-2) and Amiya Stroumza (races 3-14) led the Cardinal A boat to a pair of race wins and five top-three finishes to lead the division. The "B" boat was manned by Thomas Whidden and Caroline Geiger throughout the entire regatta, where the pair earned 38 points and a victory in race seven.
"I’m very confident in this group, on many fronts. It seems that our team is ready to put in the work daily to make another run at a championship. Every day is critical to reaching that goal and I think the whole group understands that," Klevan added.
Stanford now enters a two-week hiatus before hitting the road for the first time this spring with the Bob Bavier Open Team Race and SMG Open Team Race on March 8-9.
FALL RECAP » A successful fall season saw the Cardinal win eight of the 19 regattas on the slate. Most notably, won PCCSC titles in the Match Race, Singlehanded, Women's Fall, and Open Championships.
The Cardinal also earned regatta wins in the Women's ACC Round 1, the Captain Hurst Bowl, Women's ACC Finals, the Open ACC Championship, and the Top-9 invite.
Stanford's accomplished fall was rewarded by a No. 1 fall ranking in both the Open and Women's division, as decided by Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA). ICSA rankings are voted and decided on by a panel of ICSA head coaches.
LAST SEASON » Stanford cemented itself as the best women’s sailing program in the nation in 2024, completing the sweep of the ICSA Women’s Team and Fleet Race Championships, also becoming back to back champions in the Women’s Fleet.
Stanford’s fall season began with eight regatta wins. Along with the success on the water, the Cardinal sailors also celebrated their 2023 trophies, as the team received its championship rings at a football game.
Stanford picked up right where it left off to start the spring season, winning six straight regattas. The Cardinal went on to claim four conference championship trophies, taking both the women and open divisions of the team and fleet races.
To cap off the season before Nationals began, Stanford claimed the PCCSC Open Team Race title and the Thompson trophy over the same weekend. The Cardinal went 38-1 across the two events to take the wins in a conference championship and a premier interconference trophy.
The Cardinal then headed to the Charles River where it competed in four straight national championships hosted by MIT. In the first regatta, Stanford earned a top five finish, taking fifth place in the ICSA Open Team Race. The result was Stanford's sixth straight top-five finish, dating back to 2018.
Directly following the open team race, Stanford captured its first title of the 2024 spring season. The Cardinal took the trophy in dominant fashion, as Stanford sailed to an 18-1 record to top the field at the ICSA Women's Team Race National Championship.
In the following national championship event, Stanford claimed yet another title. The Cardinal took its second straight ICSA Women's Fleet Race title and its fifth national title overall, topping the field on the Charles River in Massachusetts.
The title was Stanford's fourth national title in the last calendar year (2023 - ICSA Women's Fleet, ICSA Open Fleet; 2024 - ICSA Women's Team, ICSA Women's Fleet). The Cardinal also won multiple national titles in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history.
Following Stanford's dominant performance in the national championships, the Cardinal took home plenty of individual accolades.
Vanessa Lahrkamp was named the Quantum Women's College Sailor of the Year, the second in program history as Lahrkamp joins her sister who earned the accolade in 2020. Vanessa Lahrkamp was instrumental in leading Stanford to the ICSA Women's Team and Fleet Race titles in 2024, also earning the title of PCCSC Women's Skipper of the Year.
Vanessa Lahrkamp also earned two All-America awards, claiming a nod as an ICSA Women's Skipper All-American and an ICSA Open Skipper Honorable Mention selection. It's the second straight year Lahrkamp was honored in both the Women's and Open divisions.
Michelle Lahrkamp also earned two All-America awards for the second straight season, being named both an ICSA Women's Skipper and Open Skipper All-American.
Hannah Freeman earned her second consecutive ICSA Women's Skipper All-America award while Thomas Sitzmann joined the Lahrkamp sisters with an ICSA Open Skipper All-America nod.
Stanford also had three crews named All-Americans. Alice Schmid, Ellie Harned, and Gwendolyn Donahue were each named All-America Crews after their dominant performances led Stanford to two national titles.