The College of Charleston sailing team edged out Dartmouth to capture its first-ever ICSA Match Race National Championship title and secure the Cornelius Shields, Sr. Trophy.
The competition took place at the J. Stewart Walker, Jr. Sailing Complex at Patriots Point Marina in Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
The Cougars last won the title in 2007, when the championship was contested as a fleet racing event. This is the first time in program history the team has claimed the national title under the new format. CofC also won sloop (fleet racing) championships in 1991, 1992, 1999, 2003 and 2006.
Teams representing the states of California, Florida, Texas, South Carolina, Maryland, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Oregon, Michigan and the District of Columbia competed in CofC’s fleet of identical J-22s.
Leading the Cougars to victory were sophomore skipper Christophe Killian (Newport Beach, Calif.) and seniors Reed Baldridge (Clear Lake, Texas), Jake Reynolds (San Diego, Calif.) and Beka Schiff (Tampa, Fla.).
