Though the women's sailing team has garnered most of the attention this season with its highest-ever ranking—No. 11 in the nation—and successful regional finishes, it was the coed team that impressed this weekend.
Bowdoin placed second out of six teams at Roger Williams' Staake Trophy, beating competitors from the University of Vermont and Salve Regina, among others, to secure one of two berths to the Fowle Trophy—the New England Team Race Championship—this weekend at MIT.
Coach Frank Pizzo said that a "big breeze with tough conditions" did not deter Bowdoin. Pizzo added that he expected his coed team to perform well, but not necessarily well enough to clinch a qualifying position.
"There is a lot of parity between teams. They were in the mix but needed to sail well to qualify," he said.
The team rotated seven different crews depending on the breeze strength in order to get ahead.
The women, meanwhile, underperformed this past weekend at the Reed Trophy, their New England championship. After wavering between No. 6 and No. 7 in the region this season, the Polar Bears did not live up to their potential in the competitive field.
The Polar Bears were in 10th place after the first day of competition, a mere 16 points behind the national championship qualification that goes to the top seven teams.
"We had a good race in each division to start Saturday, but things did not go well from there," Pizzo said. When it mattered most on Sunday, the Polar Bears slipped to 13th out of the 17 teams competing.
Pizzo noted that the competition was deep: "After Saturday there were seven teams within 20 points for that last position for nationals."
Teams receive points equivalent to their finishing place (i.e.: first place gets one point, second place gets two). Boston College, racing at home, destroyed the competition, besting second-place Yale 97-157. Bowdoin finished with 335 points.
Conditions were windy, but Pizzo said the underwhelming performance was not due to a lack of skill or unfavorable conditions; rather, he attributed it to an inability to gather the mental toughness necessary for such a crucial regatta.
"If you aren't doing as well as you think you can be doing, it is hard to bounce back," said Pizzo.
The lack of mental fortitude may correlate with the Polar Bears' lack of collegiate sailing experience. The young women's squad boasts two first year skippers and has no graduating sailors this season.
Nonetheless, two Polar Bears in particular showed immense promise and were recognized as Second Team All-NEISA. Kaylee Schwitzer '15 was recognized as a skipper while Ayaka Okawa '14 was awarded for her success as a crew. Additionally, Pizzo was named Coach of the Year—the first ever winner from Bowdoin.
Though the women's season has ended, the coed team will race at least once more, this weekend at MIT.
The 12-team field will be split into two groups of six, and the top four teams from each side will emerge through round robin style elimination. The top three teams will qualify for nationals.
"I think we are an underdog at the event," said Pizzo, explaining that making the top eight would be an accomplishment for Bowdoin.