TAMPA (January 24, 2025) – The University of South Florida's first-ever preseason regatta was a memorable one at the Peter Wenner Rainbow Invite in Honolulu, Hawai'i. Following football's bowl victory in Hawai'i, USF sailed to victory on the island as well. Eighteen total teams competed, including three entrees for the Bulls, against coed and other all-women's teams, including host Hawaii, University of Southern California, Rutgers, UC Santa Barbara, Victoria BC, Cal Poly, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, and UC Davis.
Hawaii's coed teams captured the top two stops with a slight weight advantage in the strong trade winds. USF-1 finished 3rd overall, USF-2 finished 4th overall, and USF-3 finished 8th overall. In the Wahine (women's) division, USF teams captured the 1st and 2nd spots.
Team 1 A division featured Kay Brunsvold / Melissa Janes and Ghislaine van Empel / Cate Brennan while B division featured Kalea Woodard and Ruth Bergman. Together they collected two first-place finishes.
Team 2 A division featured Kailey Warrior / Madisen Hamai while B division featured van Empel / Brennan, as well as Marina Dreyfuss and Mercedes Newland. Together they collected three first-place finishes.
Team 3 A division featured Grace Jones / Macy Parke while B division featured Sara Menesale / Heidi Hicks / Dita Carlsen. They also collected a race victory.
Off the water, the team enjoyed snorkeling, hiking Moana Falls, surfing Waikiki Beach, shopping downtown Honolulu, and eating Hawaiian barbecue plates. "A special thanks to our strength and conditioning coach Sean Tidmus and compliance advisor Madison Christian for accompanying the team," said Coach Jolly after a successful 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.
– #GoBulls –
