USF Sailing delivered an impressive showing at the Stu Nelson Trophy regatta, finishing fifth in the A-division after a weekend of challenging conditions at the Connecticut College Sailing Center.
The Bulls faced a highly competitive field featuring schools from across the country. South Florida A-division sailors Grace Jones and Dita Carlsen turned heads by beating reigning national champion Stanford. The pair closed out the regatta with a second and a third place finish in their final two races to secure their fifth-place result. “It is great seeing our hard work and focus pay off in tricky conditions,” Carlsen said after just four races were completed due to a lack of wind.
Sara Menesale with Hannah Conroy, and Carlin Fretwell with Esme Pray, also sailed the regatta and contributed consistent scores throughout the event. The team finished 13th place overall.
Looking ahead, head coach Allison Jolly’s squad will travel to Annapolis to compete at the ACC Tournament hosted by the Naval Academy on October 17th. The Bulls have their sights set on a top two finish in order to crack the top 20 in the national rankings.
The USF sailing program has a storied history, winning a SAISA conference championship in 2025 and reaching the national finals in 13 of the last 14 years. The Bulls posted top-10 finishes during the 2012 and 2013 seasons and have claimed eight SAISA conference titles since the program was founded in 1997 out of St. Petersburg.
The program has been led since 2004 by head coach Allison Jolly, one of the most accomplished women in U.S. national sailing history. Jolly is a former USA Olympian and Gold Medalist from the 1988 Games, a 2016 Florida Sports Hall of Fame inductee, and a 2019 U.S. National Sailing Hall of Fame inductee.
Attendance at South Florida sailing events is free. Home events are held at the Haney Landing Sailing Center on the University of South Florida campus.
