STANFORD. Calif. - Stanford sailing looks ahead to a busy weekend on the water, as the Cardinal is set to compete in three regattas this weekend - The Friis Trophy Open Team Race, PCCSC South Designate, and the Szambecki Open Team Race.
Stanford has enjoyed a strong start to the spring campaign, winning four of the first five regattas on the schedule in 2025.
LAST TIME OUT » Stanford sailing competed in its first two regattas on the road this spring, topping the field at the Bob Bavier Open Team Race along with a fourth-place finish at the SMC Open Team Race. The win in the Charleston Harbor gives Stanford its fourth win of the spring season.
The Bob Bavier Open Team Race saw Stanford win 18 of 21 races to earn the weekend victory, finishing two wins ahead of runner-up Charleston and four wins ahead of Roger Williams. The Cardinal went undefeated in the final round with a 3-0 record, and earned four 1-2-3 sweeps among its 18 race wins.
Stanford was led by skippers Chapman Petersen, Thomas Whidden, Ellie Harned, and Sophie Fisher, while Abby Baird, Kit Harned, and Ava Cornell handled crew duties.
"To get the win at the Bob Bavier Trophy in Charleston is a big confidence boost for those sailing," said head coach Chris Klevan. "They earned the top spot with great team racing, translating the work we’ve put in at practice to the event on unfamiliar waters. That is no small thing. It is important for them to continue that progression in the weeks to follow."
Meanwhile in Maryland, Stanford earned a 12-7 record to finish fourth in the SMC Open Team Race, finishing behind Roger Williams (16-3), Yale (13-6), and Boston College (12.5-6).
Led by skippers Dylan Sih, Reade Decker, and Thomas Sitzmann, and crew Shay Wood, Piper Blackband, and Alice Schmid, the Cardinal earned five 1-2-3 finishes and earned a 4-1 recap in Sunday's Championship 6 to ultimately finish fourth.
"Despite a finish somewhat below the expectation of some, I am quite encouraged with our sailing," Klevan added about his Cardinal contingent at the SMC Open Team Race. "We had the opportunity to showcase the progress made by some of our youngsters, and despite fielding the youngest and smallest squad in a big breeze, we came away with winning records over Yale and Boston College’s top teams. With that said. We were a good bit off the pace set by the defending champs, Roger Williams University, who showed what the bar looks like. We’ll have to take that knowledge and the reps earned by those with many years yet to sail and build upon it"
Stanford returns to the water on March 22-23, returning to the water for three regattas: the Friis Trophy Open Team Race, the PCCSC South Designate, and the Szambecki Open Team Race.
FALL RECAP » A successful fall season saw the Cardinal win eight of the 19 regattas on the slate. Most notably, won PCCSC titles in the Match Race, Singlehanded, Women's Fall, and Open Championships.
The Cardinal also earned regatta wins in the Women's ACC Round 1, the Captain Hurst Bowl, Women's ACC Finals, the Open ACC Championship, and the Top-9 invite.
Stanford's accomplished fall was rewarded by a No. 1 fall ranking in both the Open and Women's division, as decided by Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA). ICSA rankings are voted and decided on by a panel of ICSA head coaches.
LAST SEASON » Stanford cemented itself as the best women’s sailing program in the nation in 2024, completing the sweep of the ICSA Women’s Team and Fleet Race Championships, also becoming back to back champions in the Women’s Fleet.
Stanford’s fall season began with eight regatta wins. Along with the success on the water, the Cardinal sailors also celebrated their 2023 trophies, as the team received its championship rings at a football game.
Stanford picked up right where it left off to start the spring season, winning six straight regattas. The Cardinal went on to claim four conference championship trophies, taking both the women and open divisions of the team and fleet races.
To cap off the season before Nationals began, Stanford claimed the PCCSC Open Team Race title and the Thompson trophy over the same weekend. The Cardinal went 38-1 across the two events to take the wins in a conference championship and a premier interconference trophy.
The Cardinal then headed to the Charles River where it competed in four straight national championships hosted by MIT. In the first regatta, Stanford earned a top five finish, taking fifth place in the ICSA Open Team Race. The result was Stanford's sixth straight top-five finish, dating back to 2018.
Directly following the open team race, Stanford captured its first title of the 2024 spring season. The Cardinal took the trophy in dominant fashion, as Stanford sailed to an 18-1 record to top the field at the ICSA Women's Team Race National Championship.
In the following national championship event, Stanford claimed yet another title. The Cardinal took its second straight ICSA Women's Fleet Race title and its fifth national title overall, topping the field on the Charles River in Massachusetts.
The title was Stanford's fourth national title in the last calendar year (2023 - ICSA Women's Fleet, ICSA Open Fleet; 2024 - ICSA Women's Team, ICSA Women's Fleet). The Cardinal also won multiple national titles in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history.
Following Stanford's dominant performance in the national championships, the Cardinal took home plenty of individual accolades.
Vanessa Lahrkamp was named the Quantum Women's College Sailor of the Year, the second in program history as Lahrkamp joins her sister who earned the accolade in 2020. Vanessa Lahrkamp was instrumental in leading Stanford to the ICSA Women's Team and Fleet Race titles in 2024, also earning the title of PCCSC Women's Skipper of the Year.
Vanessa Lahrkamp also earned two All-America awards, claiming a nod as an ICSA Women's Skipper All-American and an ICSA Open Skipper Honorable Mention selection. It's the second straight year Lahrkamp was honored in both the Women's and Open divisions.
Michelle Lahrkamp also earned two All-America awards for the second straight season, being named both an ICSA Women's Skipper and Open Skipper All-American.
Hannah Freeman earned her second consecutive ICSA Women's Skipper All-America award while Thomas Sitzmann joined the Lahrkamp sisters with an ICSA Open Skipper All-America nod.
Stanford also had three crews named All-Americans. Alice Schmid, Ellie Harned, and Gwendolyn Donahue were each named All-America Crews after their dominant performances led Stanford to two national titles.