The University of Hawai’i sailing program made a strong showing at Stanford University over the weekend, competing in two regattas that brought together top West Coast teams. The Rainbow Wahine claimed runner-up honors at the PCCSC Women’s Fall Championship while the coed squad finished sixth at the Top-9 Fall Invite, held October 31 through November 1.
Conditions at Stanford proved demanding throughout the weekend. A changing northerly breeze brought unpredictable shifts in wind direction, forcing organizers to abandon several races on Saturday. Sunday offered little relief, with sailors continuing to navigate tricky winds across both events.
In the Women’s Fall Championship, the Rainbow Wahine tallied 58 points to secure second place behind host Stanford, which topped the nine-team field with 37 points. Hawai’i’s B division pairing of Stella Taherian and Elin Reigstad delivered a strong third-place result with 26 points, while the A division duo of Martha Schuessler and Leila Landay finished fourth on 32 points.
The coed Rainbows accumulated 317 points at the Top-9 Fall Invite, placing sixth out of nine teams and finishing just one point behind Southern California in seventh. Everett McAvoy and Alister Muto represented Hawai’i in A Division, posting 147 points for seventh in the division. The B Division crew of William Bagley, Christopher Daher, Jenna Englehart, and Lily Beckerman recorded 170 points, good for fifth in their division.
The PCCSC Championships capped a productive fall campaign for the Rainbow Wahine under first-year head coach Dave Siegal. The coed team still has two more events scheduled for November, beginning with the West Coast Championships on November 7-8 in La Jolla, California.
