ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell sailing team qualified for ACC finals and won the SUNY Open as the Big Red put together another successful weekend on the water. The Big Red grabbed fifth overall at the ACC Series Round A, then held off Webb Institute, Miami (Fla.) and Coast Guard to claim the open event.

"We battled super strong wins in both events," said Lior Lavie, the Ted Moore '71 Director of Cornell Sailing. "The team performed very well. I'm very proud of the hard work of everyone and the decision making on the race course."

Needing to finish in the top nine to secure a spot in the ACC Finals, Cornell sat in the top five all weekend and finished with 155 points. A Division's 67 points put them third overall with Bridget Green as skipper and Gabbi DelBello (races 1-12) and Jana Laurendeau (races 13-14) serving as crew. Half of the 14 races resulted in top three finishes, including three race wins.

B division saw Meredith Moran (races 1-9) and Sophia Devling (races 10-14) skippering with Amelia Neumann (races 1-6, 13-14), Sophia Pearce (races 7-9) and Laurendeau (races 10-12) making uo the crew. Of the 14 weekend races, the Big Red took top five in eight with two runner-up efforts.

The Big Red put itself in prime qualifying position with a comfortable fifth-place effort on day one, as its 99 points was well ahead of sixth-place Coast Guard (144), with the advancing total at 190. A division sat third overall with 45 points, with B division in fifth with 54.

Hayden Earl and JJ Smith skippered at the SUNY Open, with Sophia Mulvania, Sophia Fogarty and Rocco Cappetta as crew and Lauren Ehnot in reserve. A division was second to the Hurricanes, but B division narrowly held off Webb, and its 49 point in seven races was plenty, claiming its sixth regatta win of the fall by 15 points.

The Big Red will race in the Stu Nelson Women's and the ACC Open Semifinals on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 8-9.