NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Freshman Louisa Nordstrom placed sixth at the Women's Singlehanded National Championship this weekend, an impressive finish considering she was one of only three freshmen who qualified for the event. The 2016 National Championship was hosted by Texas A&M Galveston. Boston College senior Erika Reineke won by nearly 40 points, marking her fourth and final win at the annual regatta.

Nordstrom completed the 14-race event with 99 points, just seven points behind Coast Guard's Dana Rohde in fifth place. With only three finishes out of the top half, Nordstrom sailed consistently all weekend.

Nordstrom comments, "It was pretty much medium conditions during the entire event; sometimes heavier, sometimes lighter. I was fully hiked for most of the weekend, so it was a lot of physical work. Luckily, the conditions were shifty and tricky, so it was possible to work your way around other boats by sailing smarter than them. Overall, I definitely learned a lot, and I am hoping to improve results-wise when the event is in St. Petersburg, Florida next year."

Next weekend, Nordstrom and six other Lady Bulldogs will fly to Charleston to compete in the Women's Atlantic Coast Championship. The regatta is the culmination of the fall season. The fleet is expected to be nearly as good as the Nationals fleet at the end of the spring season.

Report filed by Isabelle Rossi de Leon, Yale Sports Publicity