The Varsity Sailing Team dominated last weekend – could it be a sign of things to come?

The Hotchkiss Varsity Sailing Team recently competed at the New England Fleet Racing Championships on Saturday, April 13. The Championship determined which team gets to compete at the Nationals, which will be held on May 12th in Seattle, Washington, which will be one of the culminations of the 2019 season for the team.

The Championship, which featured schools from all over the region, was a fleet-racing regatta, a free-for-all race. Each school is allowed to enter one boat (each with two sailors) into the A division and one into the B division. The final results are calculated as a sum of points acquired by both A and B boats, with first place awarded one point, second place awarded two points, etc.. Hotchkiss sailors Christopher Lukens ’19 and Gwyneth Howell ’20 competed in the A division and placed 1st; Elizabeth Koobatian ’19 and Oliver Hurwitz ’21 sailed in the B division, placing 2nd. Their performances helped Hotchkiss to win the overall championships, beating St. George’s by a healthy margin of 6 points. The Hotchkiss Sailing Team has thus ensured qualification to the Nationals.

The team was ecstatic with the result. Co-captain Christopher Lukens ’19 said, “We are a strong team. This is the first time that [Hotchkiss] has won New England’s in my four years here, so I’m absolutely thrilled. Bring on the Nationals!”

Despite the fact that captains Liz Koobatian ’19 and Chris Lukens ’19 will be graduating at the end of the year, the team remains optimistic about its prospects in the coming years. Oliver Hurwitz ’21 said: “We are a relatively deep team, which will undoubtedly prove to be beneficial. I am very optimistic about our future.” Lukens agreed with his teammate, adding, “We have many strong Prep and Lower Mid sailors who will do very well in the coming years.”