Eckerd Interconference Regatta Report
Connor Mraz
The first time Princeton competes outside of the Northeast since the Rose Bowl in 2012
After building momentum as a team on and off the water throughout recent months, Princeton Sailing made its Spring 2020 debut last weekend in St. Petersburg, Florida at the Eckerd Interconference Regatta. Due to some miraculous logistical planning, Princeton was fortunate enough to be able to field two teams at the event — a Coed Team and a Women’s Team. 18 teams in total competed. This event was the first time Princeton competed outside of the Northeast since the Rose Bowl in 2012, held in sunny Southern California.
On Friday, February 28th, nine sailors flew down in preparation for the event. Sophomores Connor Mraz ‘22 and Jorge Zreik ‘22 competed for Princeton Coed in A Division, while Max Lawrence ‘23 skippered for Myles McKnight ‘23 in B Division. For the women, we had Seniors Anne Sidamon- Eristoff ‘20 and Adrienne Mandelbaum ‘20 compete in A Division, while Liliana Taub ‘23 skippered for Calif Chen ‘23 and Carla Dias ‘21 in B Division. Sailors were met with challenging conditions on Saturday morning as it was a shifty 10-15 knots with strong gusts. After not sailing for some time due to cold temperatures in New Jersey, the squad finally settled in after lunch with some better races. The day was highlighted by a 2nd place finish in the last race of the day by Mraz and Zreik in A Division.
Day 2 saw pristine conditions in the morning that gradually died throughout the day. Both A Division pairs sailed much better in this breeze with three consecutive top 10s from Sidamon-Eristoff and Mandelbaum, and another second and a third from Mraz and Zreik. B Division, mostly composed of true freshmen, sailed better throughout the event while gaining valuable experience against solid competition. In the end, Coed finished 13th, and the Women’s Team finished 14th. There were many lessons learned by our sailors, and we are excited to carry this momentum in the rest of the spring season. Thank you so much to Alumni and other Friends of Princeton Sailing that helped get us here! We cherish and thrive off of your support.
