Winter Park, Fla. – Rollins hosted the opening day of the SAISA Women's Top 9 Invitational on Saturday. The fundamental regatta featured FJs raced in a combined scoring format, with A and B Divisions competing together. Warm weather and sunshine set the stage on Lake Virginia as the fleet completed 10 races. A steady northerly breeze gradually shifted northeast in the afternoon, ranging from 5–11 knots and producing large shifts across both sides of the course. The slate included one W5 race, with the remainder sailed on W3 and W4 courses, averaging about 16 minutes in length.
The Tars sit second after the first day of racing with 101 total points, trailing only the College of Charleston (61). The A Division duo of skipper Shay Bridge and crew Maggie Burnham accounted for 42 of those points, notching seven top-five finishes highlighted by a win in race three. The B Division added seven more top-fives, including a victory in the 10th and final race of the day. That boat featured skipper Adelaide Matzky with Jane McKenzie as crew for the first eight races before Mollie Wood subbed in for the last two.
The regatta will conclude tomorrow, Sunday, Sept. 21, with four races scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.
Charleston, S.C. – Rollins also fielded a squad at the SAISA Match Race Championship, hosted by the College of Charleston. The event featured eight teams sailing J/22 keelboats in a round-robin format, with the top four advancing to Sunday's semifinals.
The Tars opened with losses to Miami, Charleston, Jacksonville, and South Florida before rallying to close the day with back-to-back wins over Clemson and Embry-Riddle, finishing Saturday at 2–4. The lineup included Annie Samis at the helm, Milo Miller trimming, Soleil Aurignac in the pit, and Cameron Kinnear on the bow.
Rollins will not advance to semifinal action but will conclude round-robin racing on Sunday with a final match against Central Florida.
