South Florida Sailing to Compete at The Stu Nelson Trophy This Weekend
October 10, 2026 | Women's Sailing
The Bulls travel north to Connecticut for the cross-regional Stu Nelson Trophy hosted by Conn College
TAMPA, Fla. (October 8, 2026) – South Florida Sailing is flying to Connecticut with six sailors this weekend, to compete at the Stu Nelson Trophy hosted by Conn College.
Skippers Grace Jones, Sara Menesale, and Carlin Fretwell, joined by crews Dita Carlsen, Hannah Corney, and Esme Pray, will represent the Bulls in another weekend of competitive racing. Fretwell, typically crews for van Empel, but will make her skipper debut this weekend. "I am super excited to be skippering for the first time as a college athlete and sail against some of the best teams in the sport," Fretwell said.
This regatta is a three-division event in which the A, B, and C fleet scores count toward the overall team score. South Florida Sailing will compete against 16 different schools from all over the nation.
Setting The Stage:
The South Florida Sailing team placed 13th in the ACC semifinals. The B-division boat put together a strong performance by finishing in the top five in five of the ten races.
Home Sailing Attendance:
Attendance at South Florida sailing events is free. Our home sailing events are held at the Haney Landing Sailing Center on the University of South Florida campus.
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About USF Sailing
The USF sailing program won a SAISA conference championship in 2025 and has reached the national finals in 13 of the last 14 years. The Bulls finished in the top 10 during the 2012 and 2013 seasons. The sailing team, which has won eight SAISA conference titles, was formed in 1997 and is based out of St. Petersburg. The program has been led since 2004 by head coach Allison Jolly. One of the most successful women in U.S. national sailing history, Jolly is a former USA Olympian and Gold Medalist (1988), a 2016 Florida Sports Hall of Fame inductee, and a 2019 U.S. National Sailing Hall of Fame inductee.
– #GoBulls –
