Skipper and crew Marina Barzaghi, Carolina Rovira / Lily Theisen earned a fifth place finish for the Bulls
NEW ORLEANS, March 1, 2021 – The USF sailing team enjoyed their first competition back since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in a scrimmage against Tulane and Jacksonville last weekend.
The Bulls were met with strong winds on Saturday in fleet racing, which pit every competitor against each other at once. USF had four all-women’s teams competing in the 18-boat field. Marina Barzaghi (Saunderstown, R.I.) Lily Theison (St. Augustine, Fla.) and Carolina Perez-Rovira, earned the highest finish for the Bulls with fifth place. Next, Katie Bornarth and Sam Kappaz finished in 10th place. Sydney Monahan (Fort Myers, Fla.) and Olivia Smith (Palm Harbor, Fla.) (16th) and Alexandria Foos (Whitehall, Mich.) paired with Chloe Sweeting (Hope Town, Marsh Harbour, Bahamas) (17th) rounded out the Bulls’ boats.
On Sunday, USF competed in the team racing event against Jacksonville and Tulane. Notably, Jacksonville and Tulane fielded multiple teams, while the Bulls were the only team to field one team, and an all-women’s team. In a round-robin series against all competing teams, USF finished with a 6-9 record on the day, earning a solid fourth place finish.
“It was an excellent return to the water after a year of no competition,” head coach Allison Jolly said. “Looking forward, everyone is encouraged by our performance this weekend.”
USF Sailing will compete next in the Team Race Invitational at the College of Charleston in South Carolina on March 20-21 to open regular season competition.
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 –
