The Bulls open the year at the SAISA Women’s Open in St. Petersburg
ST. PETERSBURG, FLA., Aug. 13, 2019 – Head coach Allison Jolly and the USF women’s sailing team is happy to announce the 2019 fall slate that’s set to begin Sept. 7-8.
The Bulls finished 14th at the Sperry College Sailing Women’s National Championship in Newport, R.I., in May, marking the seventh national finals appearances in the last eight years.
“While we lost two key starters who graduated in May, we have been developing a strong group to step up to the challenge,” said Jolly. “We will hopefully be able to retain our top-20 national ranking with these enthusiastic, younger team members.”
USF opens the 2019-20 calendar with the SAISA Women’s Open Regatta, hosted right across the Bay by Eckerd College Sept. 7-8. USF then has one of its longest trips ever, traveling to California Sept. 14-15 for the Stanford University Fleet Race. The Bulls haven’t been that far west since 2011, when they competed in the ICSA Sloop Match Racing Nationals in San Francisco.
“We have a very unique opportunity traveling to Stanford University in September which should greatly benefit our new starters,” said Jolly.
USF then heads to either Brown or Connecticut College for the Women’s Showcase Semifinals Sept. 28-29. The Stu Nelson Women’s Regatta at Connecticut College is Oct. 5-6, followed by the Women’s Showcase Finals at either Navy or St. Mary’s Oct. 12-13. USF also has the SailPack Women’s Regatta at NC State that same weekend, an event it finished first at last season. The fall wraps up at the SAISA Women’s Championships at UNC Wilmington Oct. 26-27.
“Our schedule is very strong this fall, and we are looking forward to seeing how we fare against the other top-ranked teams, with an ultimate end goal of a strong finish at nationals in May, hosted by Tulane,” said Jolly.
Though USF lost All-American crew Darby Capellin to graduation along with Rachel Yannelli, it returns senior Delaney Brown (West Palm, Fla.). Juniors Marina Barzaghi (Saunderstown, R.I.), Katie Bornarth (Jensen Beach, Fla.) and Samantha Kappaz (Lithia, Fla.) have competed consistently since their freshman seasons. Sophomores Chloe Sweeting (Hope Town, Marsh Harbour, Bahamas), Lila Vanden Broek (Cleveland, Ohio) and Carolina Perez-Rovira (Coto Laurel, Puerto Rico) all saw significant action in their first seasons as well.
About USF Sailing
The USF sailing program has reached the national finals in seven of the last eight years. The Bulls finished in the top 10 during the 2012 and 2013 seasons. The sailing team is based out of St. Petersburg and led by head coach Allison Jolly, a former USA Olympian and 2016 Florida Sports Hall of Fame inductee.
Follow the team on social media (Twitter) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information.
– #GoBulls –
