URI, BC, BU, Yale, Brown and Coast Guard look strong at the Sperry Women's College Nationals

AFTER TWO DAYS of preliminary racing, 18 teams have qualified to advance to the finals of the Sperry Women's College National Championship, when racing continues tomorrow and Friday in Charleston, SC hosted by the College of Charleston. The 18 teams finished in the top half of their respective semifinal groups in racing that took place in breezy conditions yesterday and today. URI, BC and BU topped the Eastern semifinal, while Yale, Brown and Coast Guard took the top three spots in the other. So they look like the teams to watch in the finals, although all 18 teams going forward to the Finals start over on zero points tomorrow.

And as ICSA TV commentator Jon Rogers explained to your Ed. by phone a few minutes ago, "You have to take the semifinal results with a grain of salt. All that really counts is qualifying, which means finishing in the top 9 of the 18 in your semifinal. So there is a fair bit of strategy involved. For example, once teams are assured of qualifying they may put in their younger team members to give them some experience for next season, maybe hurting their standing in the semis a bit. But the top three in each semifinal will be strong, and come Friday I'd look for the overall winner to come from that group."

Eastern Division Top 9 Qualifiers (of 18)

Western Division Top 9 Qualifiers (of 18)