Dartmouth sailing standouts Benjamin Sheppard and Finn Cairns have been named The Richards Group Athletes of the Week alongside women’s soccer goalkeeper Ola Goebel, recognizing outstanding performances across Big Green athletics.
Each week, DartmouthSports.com highlights exceptional student-athletes, selecting one male athlete or team and one female athlete or team for the honor.
Sheppard, a senior from Riverside, Connecticut, and Cairns, a sophomore from Minneapolis, Minnesota, delivered an outstanding showing at the Hewitt Trophy hosted by Bowdoin College. Competing as helm and crew respectively, the pair dominated races 8 through 12, finishing first, fifth, second, and first again over that stretch. They averaged 5.6 points across those races, recording five top-three finishes in a commanding display of teamwork and boat speed.
Goebel, a senior goalkeeper from Evanston, Illinois, was equally impressive in earning her share of the weekly award. She anchored the Big Green defense in a 1-0 victory over No. 19 Harvard, making five saves against the Crimson. Her most critical moment came in the 83rd minute when she denied a penalty kick to preserve the lead. The shutout victory snapped Harvard’s seven-game win streak and marked the eighth shutout of the season for Goebel, underscoring her consistency between the posts throughout the fall campaign.
Dartmouth sailing has enjoyed a strong stretch of results this season. The team took second place at the Hewitt Trophy and also finished fifth at the Open Atlantic Coast Championship. Earlier in the fall, they earned a runner-up finish at the Sherman Hoyt Trophy and recorded multiple top finishes at the Barnett Trophy, demonstrating depth across the roster.
The recognition for Sheppard, Cairns, and Goebel reflects the competitive standard Dartmouth athletics continues to set across multiple sports this fall season.
