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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Jan Harley <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> , Media Pro Int'l, 401-849-0220 for ICSA Ladies First At 2007 ICSA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS Norfolk, Virginia (May 22, 2007) - The ladies are up first as the ICSA Women's National Championship - the first of the three Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) National Championships, sponsored by PENTAX Imaging Company and Vanguard Sailboats - gets underway tomorrow hosted by The Lady Monarchs from their Sailing Center at Old Dominion University (Norfolk, Va.). Competitors from 18 schools, all of which qualified for this championship through conference eliminations, will race FJs on the Elizabeth River over three days (May 23-25), followed by the announcement of the Quantum Female College Sailor of the Year at the conclusion of racing. For results and photos, when available, please visit: http://collegesailing.org/nas/spring07/womens/ Competition Preview: ODU will be working the home-court advantage in a bid to claim their fourth women's national title (1982, 1987 and 2002). Senior skipper Cara DiSanti (Seacliff, N.Y.) with sophomore crew Alyssa Ayres (Trenton, N.J.) will sail A-Division, while freshman skipper Katrina Williams (Pembroke, Bermuda) with sophomore crew Elyssa Albert (Lovettsville, Va.) and freshman Jane Bleakney (Silverton, Ore.) will be on-the-water in B-Division. The College of Charleston, ranked second in the nation (Sailing World College Rankings of May 8), will need to be sharp in order to extend their reign as champions. Sophmore skipper Andrea Savage (Grosse Pointe Shores, Mich.) and junior crew Danielle Neri (Newport, R.I.) - with eyes set on repeating Cougar history - will race in A-Division with freshman Rebecca Bestoso (Erie, Penn). Freshmen Allie Blecher (Fullerton, Calif.) and Christina Murray (Annapolis, Md.) with junior Julia Southworth (Marion, Mass.) will sail B-Division. Shannon Heausler (Tampa, Fla.) and Bethany Herbert (Annapolis, Md.), both freshmen, are alternates. Two additional teams that look strong coming into this event are St. Mary's College (St. Mary's City, Md.), winners of the 1995 title, and Harvard University (Cambridge, Mass.), champions in 2005. The St. Mary's Seahawks have dominated the national rankings since late March and will have junior Adrienne Patterson (Newport Beach, Calif.) skipper their A-Division boat with senior crew Melissa Pumphrey (Annapolis, Md.). Freshman skipper Sara Morgan Watters (Oxford, Md.) with junior Mattie Farrar (Blaine, Wash.) will race B-Division and sophomore Jennifer Chamberlin (Alexandria, Va.) will be the Seahawks' alternate crew for both divisions. Harvard's A-Division team will be helmed by sophomore <http://www.gocrimson.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=45219&SPID=4037&DB_OEM_ID=9 000&ATCLID=648875> Megan Watson (Hingham, Mass.) with senior Christina Dahlman (Chevy Chase, Md.) - a two-time ICSA All-American Crew and the only returning member of the 2005 winning team. Sophomore skipper Roberta Steele <http://www.gocrimson.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=45219&SPID=4037&DB_OEM_ID=9 000&ATCLID=648870> (LaPorte, Texas) will sail B-Division with sophomore <http://www.gocrimson.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=45219&SPID=4037&DB_OEM_ID=9 000&ATCLID=648838> Lauren Brants (Ft. Worth, Texas) and senior Cassandra Niemi (Gainesville, Fla.). Freshman Liz Powers (Wellesley, Mass.) will be The Crimson's alternate skipper/heavy crew. The Details: The ICSA National Championships brings together sailors representing seven North American conferences. Each of the 18 qualified schools fields a separate A and B division team and, weather permitting, each division sails eighteen 20- to 30-minute fleet races for a total of 36 races. A team's final score is determined by the combined results of its sailors in A and B divisions. What's Next: The U.S. Naval Academy (Annapolis, Md.) will host both the ICSA/APS Team Race National Championship (May 27-29) and the ICSA/Gill Coed National Championship (May 30-June 1). To learn more about ICSA, visit www.collegesailing.org <http://www.collegesailing.org/> . For additional information on the sponsors of these championships, please visit them online: www.h20camera.com <http://www.h20camera.com/> , www.gillna.com <http://www.gillna.com/> , www.apsltd.com <http://www.apsltd.com/> , www.quantumsails.com <http://www.quantumsails.com/> and www.teamvanguard.com <http://www.teamvanguard.com/> . -end- (Complete list of Teams Qualified to compete in the 2007 ICSA Women's National Championship follows) May 23-25, 2007 - ICSA Women's National Championship Boston College (Chestnut Hill, Mass.) Boston University (Boston, Mass.) College of Charleston (Charleston, S.C.) Dartmouth College (Hanover, N.H.) Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.) Harvard University (Cambridge, Mass.) William Smith College (Geneva, N.Y.) Old Dominion University (Norfolk, Va.) St. Mary's College (St. Mary's City, Md.) Stanford University (Stanford, Calif.) Tufts University (Medford, Mass.) University of California (Irvine, Calif.) University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, Mich.) University of South Florida (St. Petersburg, Fla.) University of Texas (Austin, Texas) University of Washington (Seattle, Wash.) University of Wisconsin (Madison, Wis.) U.S. Naval Academy (Annapolis, Md.) (end) ________________________________________________ icsa mailing list [email protected] http://www.collegesailing.org/mailman/?listname=icsa
