Bulls host the SAISA Women's Team Race and Fleet Race Championships
 
TAMPA, FLA., APRIL 9, 2026 – Head coach Allison Jolly's USF sailing team looks to secure another conference championship this weekend as South Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association teams converge on St. Petersburg, Fla. for the SAISA Women's Team Race and Fleet Race Championships hosted by the Bulls April 10-12.
 
The Bulls have posted four top two finishes among their eight events thus far in the spring season, including winning the USF Women's Team Race in St. Petersburg back in February and finishing second in the SAISA Women's Top 9 Fleet Race hosted by Miami at the end of March.
 
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.
 
The Bulls claimed the Ann Boyd Trophy last year by winning the SAISA Fleet Race Championship and finished second in the Team Racing Championship. Both were hosted in St. Petersburg. The SAISA conference championships serve as a qualifier for the College Sailing Women's National Championships that USF will host in May.
 
At this year's SAISA Team Race championships, USF will be represented by skippers Grace Jones, Sara Menesale, and Marina Dreyfuss and crews Melissa Janes, Cate Brennan, and Madisen Hamai. For the Fleet Race Championships, starters will be Kailey Warrior and Madison Hamai in A division and Ghislaine van Empel and Cate Brennan in B division.
 
The Bulls will compete against conference teams from Duke, Miami, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Florida, College of Charleston, NC State, Rollins, Tennessee, Embry Riddle, Florida Tech, Jacksonville, and Palm Beach Atlantic.

Setting The Stage:
The Bulls finished off a strong regular season on the waters of Thames River in Connecticut last weekend as USF finished fifth among 15 teams at the Emily Wick Fleet Race.
 
Head coach Allison Jolly's team has been posting strong finishes, placing second among four teams last weekend at the St. John's Women's Team Race and fourth among 18 teams at the St. Mary's Women's Team Race the previous weekend in Maryland.
 
National Championships Coming to St. Petersburg In May:
The season 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.
 
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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 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.