University of South Florida
SAISA Top 9 Women
USF Sailing Finishes Third at SAISA Women’s Top 9
September 22, 2026 | Women's Sailing
The Lady Bulls take a top-three finish home against the best nine teams in the conference
TAMPA, FLA. (SEPT. 22, 2026) – The University of South Florida Sailing team showed a strong performance in Charleston last weekend with multiple top-five finishes.
Skippers Kailey Warrior, Grace Jones, and Ghislaine van Empel are slowly getting used to their new crews after their previous partners graduated last spring. This doesn't stop the USF Bulls from getting good results. The sailors are actively working on communication and improving their team dynamic.
Van Empel and Carlin Fretwell sailed their first race together and put a bullet on the scoreboard while Warrior and Esme Pray finished six races in the top five.
Up Next:
Head coach Allison Jolly's team travels with six sailors to Tulane University for the Sugar Bowl while nine other sailors represent USF at the SAISA Women's Top 6 hosted by USF at the Haney Landing Sailing Center.
Home Sailing 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 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.
