ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.-- The Cornell sailing team closed out a historic season with the best finish in program history at the ICSA Open Fleet Race National Championship, placing 17th overall against the nation's top collegiate programs. The Big Red earned its spot in the national finals for the first time ever after finishing eighth at the Open Eastern Semifinals earlier in the week, marking another milestone for a program that continued its rise on the national stage throughout the 2025-26 campaign.
Competing out of the St. Petersburg Yacht Club, Cornell totaled 370 points over 14 races in both A and B divisions while facing one of the deepest fields in collegiate sailing. Brown captured the national championship with 163 points, followed by Stanford and Yale.
Cornell's A Division crew of junior skipper Winborne Majette and freshman crew Grace Penque highlighted the regatta with several strong finishes, including a third-place result in race three, a sixth-place finish in race six, and an impressive victory in race 11 against the national championship field. The B Division pairing of sophomore skipper Gilda Dondona and senior crew Sophia Mulvania added a seventh-place finish in race 11, while Marcus Greco and Emil Damji stepped into the rotation during races seven and eight.
At the semifinal regatta, Majette and Penque guided Cornell's A Division boat to a seventh-place division finish, highlighted by a race victory in race four and top-five placements in races one, three, and four. In B Division, Dondona and Mulvania battled through a disqualification in race two to finish eighth overall, rebounding with top-five efforts in races three, five, six, and seven.
Cornell remained in qualifying position throughout the semifinal competition and ultimately held off Connecticut College and Northeastern to clinch its place in the championship finals. Harvard won the semifinal event with 52 points, while Navy and Tulane rounded out the top three.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Cornell sailing team advanced to the ICSA Open Fleet Race National Championship for the first time in program history after finishing eighth at the Open Eastern National Semifinals on Wednesday afternoon. Competing against an 18-team field packed with many of the nation's top programs, the Big Red totaled 114 points to secure its qualifying position and punch its ticket to nationals. Harvard won the semifinal with 52 points, followed by Navy and Tulane.
Cornell's breakthrough performance was powered by consistent efforts in both divisions throughout the seven-race regatta. Junior skipper Winborne Majette and freshman crew Grace Penque guided the Big Red to a seventh-place finish in A division with 52 points, highlighted by a victory in the fourth race and top-five finishes in three races overall. In B division, sophomore skipper Gilda Dondona and senior crew Sophia Mulvania delivered several key results while overcoming an early disqualification that threatened to derail the Big Red's qualifying hopes. Cornell sat tied for eighth midway through the regatta before a steady closing stretch allowed the Big Red to hold off challenges from Northeastern and Miami for the berth.
Majette and Penque helped Cornell surge into contention early with finishes of third, fifth and first over the opening four races in A division, while Dondona and Mulvania rebounded from the second-race disqualification with finishes of fifth, sixth, fifth and fifth over the final five B-division races. The balanced effort proved critical as Cornell climbed above the cut line entering the final rotation and maintained its position through the closing races.
The Big Red's advancement continues a historic postseason for the program, marking another national finals appearance during an already successful spring championship run. The two-day finals begin on Thursday, May 21..
