Volume CXXXI, Number 24 May 3, 2002 f

Sailing qualifies for New England Dinghy Championships
JENNIFER LARAIA
STAFF WRITER

Last weekend, members of the Bowdoin Sailing Team raced their fastest, qualifying for the New England Dinghy Championships, which will be held on May 4 and 5. After a stellar second-place finish, the Polar Bears hope to continue their momentum into next weekend against New England's top sailors.

In the A division, skipper Simon Gerson '02 and crew Melanie Keene '03, finished in second place after competing in eleven races. The Gerson/Keene team boasted three first-place finishes during the course of the regatta. Falling only to the Massachusetts Maritime boat, Gerson and Keene ended with 42 points.

In the B division, skipper Tyler Dunphy '03 and crew Gia Upchurch '05 raced to a third-place finish. Dunphy and Upchurch also won three of their eleven races, and ended the regatta with 40 points, giving the Polar Bears a combined total of 82. This total was good for second place and put the Bears only two points behind the regatta's winner, the Salve Regina Seahawks.

Salve Regina, Bowdoin, Roger Williams, Massachusetts Maritime, Brandeis, and Providence all qualified for the New England Dinghy Championships, which will be held at Mitchell this weekend. The top four finishers at New Englands will advance to the national championships, which will be held in Hawaii. In addition to this regatta, Bowdoin will also be sending sailors to Eastern Series 4 and Metro Series 6, competitions to take place on Saturday and Sunday respectively.

Unless the Polar Bears advance to the national championship, it will be their last weekend of sailing for the spring season. It will also be Gerson's last weekend as a Bowdoin sailor; as the team's top skipper, Gerson will be sorely missed next fall. A strong contingent of junior sailors promise to lead the Polar Bears and a gifted group of underclassmen will step into new roles on the team.

"We've had the best season since I've been here, rising in the rankings and placing in the top of all the trophy regattas," Keene commented. "We have very high expectations for next fall!"