NEW LONDON, Conn. – The No. 4 Yale women's sailing team finished third at the Stu Nelson Trophy, the first interconference regatta of the season hosted by Connecticut College. The Bulldogs were winning by a few points after a windy day of racing on Saturday, though both divisions and the regatta were tight. Sunday was shiftier and puffier, making for more challenging racing.

Freshman skipper Louisa Nordstrom and senior crew Isabelle Rossi de Leon finished second in A division, just behind Boston College. Junior Claire Huebner also crewed in A division in the breezier races.

Nordstrom comments, "This weekend was challenging, but I really enjoyed my first collegiate regatta and I'm proud of how we finished. I think our starts need some work, but we have the rest of the season to get better!"

In B division, junior KB Knapp and sophomore Kira Woods placed third. The duo also finished well last weekend, and they're excited to continue working hard and performing at a high level.

Woods noted that in Saturday's more steady breeze, the team was able to hike hard and get an edge in terms of boat speed. On Sunday, they had to focus much more on the hitting the shifts and managing transitions because the velocity and angle changes were sudden and dramatic.

The Bulldogs will head to Roger Williams next weekend for another women's regatta. Nordstrom will also vie for a spot at the Women's Singlehanded National Championship back at Connecticut College.

Report filed by Isabelle Rossi de Leon, Yale Sports Publicity