Spring Break
URI sailing team captures 11th Kennedy Cup
Brandon Gearing
Issue date: 11/21/08 Section: Sports
11/21/08 - The University of Rhode Island sailing team edged the United States Naval Academy to earn its 11th victory in Kennedy Cup history on Nov. 9.
The Kennedy Cup is sailing's equivalent of a collegiate national championship, and the victory makes URI the winningest team in cup history.
"It was an amazing opportunity, we had a blast," team co-captain Jesse Fielding said.
The cup was held Nov. 7 to Nov. 9 on the Chesapeake Bay and consisted of eight races, all about one hour long.
Nine sailors represented the URI sailing club, which consists of 63 total members.
The Naval Academy hosted the event and entered it's crew in the competition also.
Other participants included the United States Coast Guard Academy, St. Mary's University, Maine Maritime Academy, California Maritime Academy, the United States Merchant Marine Academy, the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, the New York Maritime Academy Queens University, as well as the aforementioned URI and Navy teams.
During the eight races, teams are awarded points based on their finishes. First place earns one point, second place earns two points and so on.
The lowest cumulative score wins the contest.
Rhody totaled 23, narrowly beating out Navy;s score of 24 during the three-day span.
The Rams had two first-place finishes, second only to Maine Maritime Academy's three wins.
All but one of Rhody's other finishes were among the top five.
Coming into the final race, the Rams held a narrow 21-19 lead over defending-champion Navy. That meant the Rams had to finish no less than two spots behind Navy to clinch the title.
URI was able to finish just one spot behind Navy to earn the victory.
"It makes us very proud to honor the tradition that URI sailing has," Fielding said.
With the win, Rhody will now represent the United States at the 2009 Student Yachting World Cup in France.
It's the second trip to the cup in three years for the Rams, who last competed in 2007, earning a seventh place finish.
The Kennedy Cup is sailing's equivalent of a collegiate national championship, and the victory makes URI the winningest team in cup history.
"It was an amazing opportunity, we had a blast," team co-captain Jesse Fielding said.
The cup was held Nov. 7 to Nov. 9 on the Chesapeake Bay and consisted of eight races, all about one hour long.
Nine sailors represented the URI sailing club, which consists of 63 total members.
The Naval Academy hosted the event and entered it's crew in the competition also.
Other participants included the United States Coast Guard Academy, St. Mary's University, Maine Maritime Academy, California Maritime Academy, the United States Merchant Marine Academy, the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, the New York Maritime Academy Queens University, as well as the aforementioned URI and Navy teams.
During the eight races, teams are awarded points based on their finishes. First place earns one point, second place earns two points and so on.
The lowest cumulative score wins the contest.
Rhody totaled 23, narrowly beating out Navy;s score of 24 during the three-day span.
The Rams had two first-place finishes, second only to Maine Maritime Academy's three wins.
All but one of Rhody's other finishes were among the top five.
Coming into the final race, the Rams held a narrow 21-19 lead over defending-champion Navy. That meant the Rams had to finish no less than two spots behind Navy to clinch the title.
URI was able to finish just one spot behind Navy to earn the victory.
"It makes us very proud to honor the tradition that URI sailing has," Fielding said.
With the win, Rhody will now represent the United States at the 2009 Student Yachting World Cup in France.
It's the second trip to the cup in three years for the Rams, who last competed in 2007, earning a seventh place finish.
