Charleston, S.C. – Rollins opened the weekend racing FJs in a combined scoring format at a fundamental regatta on Saturday. The Tars finished third in the six-team field with 229 total points (83 in A Division, 71 in B, and 75 in C).
Rollins recorded seven top-five finishes, including three race wins. Two victories came in A Division with
Shay Bridge (skipper) and Maggie Burnham (crew), while another came in B Division with
Annie Samis (skipper) and
Jane McKenzie (crew). Rounding out the lineup in C Division were
Adelaide Matzky (skipper) and
Mollie Wood (crew).
On Sunday, the Tars shifted formats for the SAISA Women's Top 6 Team Race, a fundamental regatta raced in 420s and hosted by the College of Charleston.
Rollins finished second overall in the six-team event. The Tars went 3–2 in the opening round, earning wins over South Florida (1-2-6), Clemson (1-2-4), and NC State (1-2-3 sweep). Charleston took the first head-to-head (3-4-6), and Rollins narrowly fell to Jacksonville (2-3-6) to close the round.
Advancing to the final four, the Tars went 2–1, securing additional wins over South Florida (1-2-6) and Jacksonville (1-2-4) before falling to Charleston (4-5-6) in the final matchup. Rollins rotated
Shay Bridge,
Annie Samis, and
Adelaide Matzky at skipper with Maggie Burnham,
Jane McKenzie, and
Mollie Wood as crew throughout the day.
Winter Park, Fla. – Rollins also hosted the SAISA Open on Lake Virginia, navigating two days of changing conditions in a fundamental FJ regatta sailed in a two-division format.
Saturday presented early challenges as an unstable morning breeze forced multiple general recalls. Conditions eventually settled into a 5–7 knot easterly sea breeze, allowing W3 and W4 courses to be completed with races averaging 17 minutes. After day one, Miami, Jacksonville, and Rollins sat tightly packed at the top of the leaderboard, separated by fewer than nine points. Two protests and one breakdown were heard before Sunday's racing resumed.
Sunday delivered a stronger test. A light southerly breeze at 8–10 knots built into the high teens with gusts reaching 25 knots by the final races. Four A-Division and four B-Division races were completed. As conditions intensified, attrition increased toward the back of the fleet, though no protests or breakdowns were filed.
Rollins Blue finished third overall with 53 total points (22 in A, 31 in B), while the Gold team placed seventh with 105 points (65 in A, 40 in B).
Blue tallied 10 top-three finishes, including five race wins.
Caleb Kinnear and
Jack Adderley opened in A Division before rotating through combinations with
Alexander Goldsmith,
Milo Miller, and
Julia Scott. In B Division, KA Hamner,
Noah Belson,
Milo Fleming, and
Matthew Sexton rotated at skipper with
Sam Frushone and
Soleil Aurignac as crew, adding seven additional top-five finishes.
Rollins returns to the water next weekend in Tampa for the USF Women's Team Race.
