With the spring season just around the corner, the Cardinal sailing team competed strongly in last weekend’s Sugar Bowl. Stanford has the ability to perform even greater in the upcoming Rose Bowl — not at a football stadium, but at a regatta.

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Despite a sharp turnaround on Sunday and a first-place tie in points, Stanford finished second to Dartmouth at the Sugar Bowl regatta. The No. 9 co-ed team next travels to Southern California for the Rose Bowl, a regatta that draws much East Coast competition. #gallery http://daily.stanford.org/image/full/4305
Chrissy Minyard

Despite a sharp turnaround on Sunday and a first-place tie in points, Stanford finished second to Dartmouth at the Sugar Bowl regatta. The No. 9 co-ed team next travels to Southern California for the Rose Bowl, a regatta that draws much East Coast competition.

Stanford finished a narrow second in the Sugar Bowl when it traveled to the Southern Yacht Club in New Orleans. This weekend’s Rose Bowl will be held at Long Beach in Los Angeles, Calif.

The Cardinal initially tied for first with Dartmouth at the Sugar Bowl, but after losing the tiebreaker, they finished second.

The sailing team, which had a slow start during the first six races on Saturday, regrouped overnight and had a strong finish on Sunday to force the tiebreaker. Unlike team competition, the co-ed regatta did not have a sudden death to break a tie in points; instead the winner was determined by which team placed higher in previous races.

The regatta, hosted by Tulane University, was an enjoyable event as the sailors were greeted on Saturday with ideal winds ranging from 12-15 knots and beautiful weather reaching 70 degrees. Eddie Conrad and senior Ali Salatti sailed for Division A, while Jeff Allen teamed with senior Lucy Horton for Division B.

“We’re happy to do so well, and having a native of New Orleans — Eddie Conrad — sailing with us was helpful,” Sallati said. “We are a strong team, and we need to execute what we have learned at the regattas.”

The No. 9 co-ed team will have to sail well this weekend at the Rose Bowl in order to defend its title. The Cardinal have won the Rose Bowl the past two years. Although the Bowl is considered a fall regatta, it marks the beginning of the spring season for Stanford.

The Rose Bowl is the most popular West Coast regatta, bringing the most East Coast schools to compete.

“We have had a strong fall season, and we want to continue our good performance into the spring season,” said assistant coach Amy Gross-Kehoe. “We want to defend our title this weekend.”

The Rose Bowl, hosted by Southern California, will see Stanford seniors Peter Deming and Horton sailing for Division A. Sophomores Emery Wager and Becca Levin will sail in Division B.

“We are confident going into this regatta because we have been working hard all season,” Levin said. “This is an important regatta, and it will be good practice.”

After the Rose Bowl, the Stanford Sailing team will not compete in another intersectional event until February. The Cardinal will use this time to workout and to have chalk talks covering the team’s strategies.

The Cardinal expect a good showing at the three-season ending National Championships in June with strong races in women, team racing and sleet racing divisions.