The No. 7 St. Mary’s College of Maryland coed sailing team claimed second place at the Prosser Trophy, the Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association (MAISA) Open Team Race Conference Championship, held at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) on April 8-9. The Seahawks secured a 5-2 record and won the sailoff against No. 11 University of Pennsylvania for the runner-up spot.
On the first day of racing, the light wind condition of 4-6 knots resulted in the completion of only eight races. The Seahawks had a 1-1 record and were tied for fourth place going into Sunday’s competition. They lost to No. 8 Georgetown University with a 3-4-5 score, but managed to win against No. 10 U.S. Naval Academy, George Washington University, Fordham University, and Old Dominion University with scores of 1-3-5, 1-2-4, 2-3-4, and 1-2-5, respectively.
St. Mary’s and Penn both finished with 5-2 records, leading to a sailoff to determine the second-place finisher. The Seahawks won the sailoff with first-, second-, and third-place finishes, securing their runner-up spot. Georgetown claimed the Prosser Trophy with a 6-1 record, earning the conference’s automatic berth in the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) Open Team Race National Championship on May 27-29, which will be hosted by USMMA.
Senior captain Leo Boucher, sophomore Owen Hennessey, and first-year Felix Cutler took on skipper duties for St. Mary’s, while seniors Ellie Sekowski and Sam Muir, juniors Madison Bashaw and Katherine Shermock, and sophomore Anna Flynn filled the crew roles.
The Seahawks will be competing in the Navy Spring Dinghy in Annapolis, MD and the Owen Trophy in Kings Point, NY, hosted by USMMA on April 15-16.
This is the latest success for St. Mary’s sailing team, which has a storied history of excellence. The team has won 15 national championships and has been ranked No. 1 in the nation 10 times. Their impressive track record has earned them the recognition of being one of the top collegiate sailing programs in the country.
St. Mary’s College of Maryland continues to build on its legacy of excellence, offering a rigorous liberal arts education with a focus on experiential learning. The school has been recognized as a “Best Value” and “Top Public Liberal Arts College” by U.S. News & World Report, among other accolades.
The Prosser Trophy was named in honor of Dr. Robert Prosser, who was a USMMA professor and sailing coach. He was a leading figure in intercollegiate sailing for over 40 years and is credited with helping to build the sport into what it is today.