TAMPA (November 1, 2024) – The University of South Florida wrapped up its fall competition schedule with a pair of races to close out the month of October. The Bulls placed second at the SAISA Fall Women's Championships and took eighth place at the Freshmen Championships.
USF finished a strong second at the SAISA Women's Fall Conference Championships, losing only to host College of Charleston. Nine teams competed, including NC State, Clemson, Florida State, UCF, Jacksonville, and Rollins.
Seniors Kay Brunsvold and Kalea Woodard finished second in the regatta, including three victories in the 15 races sailed. Sailing in her final collegiate regatta before graduating in December, Emma Shakespeare paired with Melissa Janes to finish fourth overall. Combining the scores resulted in the Bulls placing second at the event.
USF finished eighth at the Nickerson Trophy, emblematic of college sailing's freshmen championships, hosted by Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. Eighteen teams competed, including favorites Brown, Harvard, Boston College, MIT, Coast Guard, and Tufts, as well as Boston University, Jacksonville, Roger Williams, and Universities of New Hampshire, Vermont, and Rhode Island.
Sailing in A division, Efe Guder and Sara Menesale exceled, finishing just one point out of third place with only single-digit finishes in all 12 races. This was the last regatta for this fleet of boats as they are being retired, and in B division Grace Jones and Macy Parke discovered why. Many boats capsized during the first two races, but Jones and Parke managed to stay upright in challenging conditions.
Unfortunately, though, their boat was leaking and taking on water. Following that setback they picked up the pace and ended top 10 in B division, and the second place women's team in this coed event.
About USF Sailing
The USF sailing program has reached the national finals in 11 of the last 12 years. The Bulls finished in the top 10 during the 2012 and 2013 seasons. The sailing team is based out of St. Petersburg and has been led since 2014 by head coach Allison Jolly, a former USA Olympian and Gold Medalist, 2016 Florida Sports Hall of Fame inductee and 2019 U.S. National Sailing Hall of Fame inductee.
Follow the team on Twitter and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information.
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