Sailing vies for Underdog Trophy

Author: Molly Dwyer

While other sports teams dominated the turf this past weekend, the Middlebury sailing club held its own Saturday and Sunday on the waters of Mendum's Pond at the University of New Hampshire. The Panthers finished fifth out of 12 competitive teams vying for the Underdog Trophy. Bates, UNH, Massachusets Maritime, Northeastern, Middlebury and Providence College battled for a spot in the closely-contested top six.

By 1 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, winds had died to zero knots, limiting the competitors to only six races. "Only six races were sailed on Sunday," said captain Adam Volwiler '09. "With such a close fleet and so few races sailed, one costly penalty on the water ended up dropping us from third to fifth." Skipper Max Junda '09 and crew Ashley Bell '09 sailed for A division, while skipper Ben Brown '11 and crew Volwiler sailed for B division as proud representatives of the Panthers. "Those are undoubtedly our strongest pairs," said Mia Lieb-Lappen '10.5, "so we were expecting great things out of them this weekend, and were not disappointed. These pairs normally represent our team at the top regattas."

The sailors have braved this past week's wintry weather in preparation for their final regattas. The Panthers are optimistic and proud of their concluding season, especially considering recent additions to the ever-expanding program. After setting out to raise $50,000 in order to enhance the program, the team concluded its Rock the Boat Campaign in April with $91,670 in donations.

The team is particularly thankful for its exceptional fleet, which is composed of Flying Juniors and 420's. The sailors are also pleased with their new boathouse at Lake Dunmore, which is only a ten-minute drive from campus and much more convenient than their previous location on Lake Champlain.

With its unflagging enthusiasm, fundraising, state-of-the art equipment and eagerness to accept new sailors, it is no coincidence that the sailing team has found great success. According to Volwiler, "The team has seen steady improvement this season, mostly due to our new fleet of boats, new practice venue, and growing team."

The Panthers will head to Boston this weekend to race in their final regatta at MIT. Regardless of this weekend's outcome, the Middlebury sailing team will enter its spring season with a great record and a goal of continued improvement.