Bulls will host Women's Fleet Race National Championships
 
TAMPA, FLA., APRIL 13, 2026 – Head coach Allison Jolly's USF sailing team posted a pair of second-place finishes at the South Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association (SAISA) Women's Team Race and Fleet Race Championships in St. Petersburg.
 
The Bulls second-place finish in the SAISA Fleet Race Championship punched their ticket to compete in the College Sailing Women's Fleet Racing Championships hosted by the Bulls in St. Petersburg, May 15-18. The top two finishers from each of six conferences qualify for the championship.
 
At the SAISA Championships, USF was represented in the Fleet Race Championships by starters were Kailey Warrior and Madison Hamai in A Division and Ghislaine van Empel and Cate Brennan in B Division.
 
For the Team Race Championships, starters were Grace Jones, Sara Menesale, and Marina Dreyfuss and crews Melissa Janes, Cate Brennan, and Madisen Hamai.
 
The Bulls finished second among 12 teams competing in the Fleet Race Championships. The team of Warrior and Hamai finished second in the A Division, while Van Empel and Brennan finished third in the B Division.

Fabulous conditions greeted the 12 teams competing for the Ann Boyd Trophy. Temperatures were in the lower 80's, winds were east-northeast ranging from 8 to 13 knots, with a few gusts to 18 knots. The seas made for challenging up-winds but also provided some exhilarating downwind surfing.

The College of Charleston jumped out to an early lead and proceeded to win 11 of the 16 total races sailed to post a score of 34. Eight races were scored in each division and averaged 12-13 minutes in length. USF posted a score of 60, bettering Rollins (68), Jacksonville (95), NC State (150), Florida (159), Miami (170), Palm Beach Atlantic (194), Florida State (198), Florida Institute of Technology (216), Duke (238) and Tennessee (283).

The Bulls finished second among four teams in the Team Race Championships, winning five races and losing four. The Bulls bettered Rollins College (3/6) and Jacksonville University (1/8), while the College of Charleston claimed the team race title going 9-0.
 
Four teams launched under sunny skies with temperatures in the upper 70s, and east-northeast winds at 10-12 knots. With a dying breeze and strong outgoing current, the sea state was best described as slop and chop. Three full round robins were completed, with winds barely above the 4-knot minimum during the middle round, then rising to 6-7 knots for the final round. Race times were between 9 and 17 minutes, depending on the vagaries in the wind strength.
 
National Championships Coming to St. Petersburg In May:
The USF sailing season culminates May 15-18 as the Bulls will serve as the hosts for the College Sailing Women's Fleet Racing National Championships for the first time since 2013. South Florida will compete against the nation's elite for a national title at the SkyBeach Resort in St. Peterburg.
 
Event Attendance:
Attendance at USF sailing events is free. USF home sailing events are held at the Haney Landing Sailing Center on the University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus.
 
Follow us:
To stay up-to-date on the latest USF Sailing news, follow the Bulls on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram).
 
About USF Sailing
The USF sailing program won a SAISA conference championship in 2025 and has reached the national finals in 12 of the last 13 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.