TAMPA, FLA., APRIL 10, 2025 — As the spring sailing season nears its conclusion, the University of South Florida will host the Women's South Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association (SAISA) Conference Championships this weekend on the waters of St. Petersburg. With a late-season cold front forecasted to bring cooler temperatures and moderate breezes, conditions are expected to be ideal for competitive racing.

The conference championship event begins Friday, April 11, with the Women's Team Racing Championship. Four teams will compete for a spot at the Inter-collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) National Women's Team Racing Championship, to be hosted by Brown University from April 26-28. USF will face top-ranked College of Charleston, Jacksonville University, and Rollins University in what promises to be a tightly contested regatta.

Sailing for the Bulls are seniors Kay Brunsvold, Heidi Hicks, and Kalea Woodard; juniors Melissa Janes, Madisen Hamai, and Cate Brennan; sophomores Kailey Warrior and Ghislaine van Empel; and first-years Ruth Bergman, Grace Jones, and Dita Carlsen.

"We've been training all season for this moment, and I'm incredibly proud of the depth and leadership across our roster," head coach Allison Jolly said. "This group is focused, determined, and ready to compete. Hosting this event gives us an extra boost, and we're excited to show what we can do on our home waters."

The action continues Saturday and Sunday, April 12-13, with the SAISA Women's Dinghy Fleet Racing Championship. Eleven programs are slated to compete for the prestigious Ann Boyd Trophy, including Clemson, Charleston, Florida State, Jacksonville, NC State, Rollins, UCF, Florida, Miami, and North Carolina.

The top two finishers in the fleet racing event will secure automatic qualification to the ICSA National Women's Dinghy Championship, which will be held May 20-23 at St. Mary's College in Maryland.

Follow the team on Twitter and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information.

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.