Navy Intercollegiate Sailing Sweeps Chesapeake Invitational and Chesapeake Open in Annapolis

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Navy intercollegiate sailing made the most of a busy weekend on its home waters, winning both the Chesapeake Invitational and Chesapeake Open while also putting three Midshipmen into the MAISA Women’s Singlehanded Championship for the Faye Bennet Trophy.

The Midshipmen hosted all three events in Annapolis and emerged with victories in two team regattas. Navy dominated the six-team Chesapeake Invitational by 49 points and used remarkable consistency to take first in the nine-team Chesapeake Open. Freshman Danielle Lynch-Smith added Navy’s best individual performance at the Faye Bennet Trophy by finishing seventh in the 18-boat championship field.

The two victories continued an impressive start to Navy’s 2026-27 campaign. One week earlier, the Midshipmen opened the season with runner-up finishes at the Navy Women’s Fall Regatta and ILCA South, making the latest weekend another indication of the program’s depth early in the fall.

Navy dominates Chesapeake Invitational

Navy’s most commanding performance came in the Chesapeake Invitational.

The six-team event featured three boats from each school competing in a combined division. Racing took place on the same course used for the Chesapeake Open, and Navy established itself at the front almost immediately.

The Midshipmen grabbed the lead early and steadily increased their advantage over the eight-race series. By the completion of the regatta, Navy had built a massive 49-point advantage over the rest of the field.

Senior Henry Allgeier and senior Fiona Cullen led Navy’s effort by winning the combined division. Their performance gave the Midshipmen the top boat in the standings and established the foundation for Navy’s runaway team victory.

Junior Owen MacWilliams and freshman Madeleine Garrett were nearly as effective, placing second in the combined division. With Navy boats occupying both of the first two positions, the Midshipmen put themselves in an exceptionally strong scoring position.

Junior Kyle Reinecke and junior Molly Jethwa rounded out Navy’s lineup with a fifth-place result. All three Navy boats therefore finished among the top five in the combined standings.

That balance ultimately separated Navy from everyone else.

The Midshipmen did not need one boat to carry the team because all three combinations contributed high finishes. Allgeier and Cullen won the division, MacWilliams and Garrett followed directly behind them and Reinecke and Jethwa supplied another top-five performance.

The result was one of Navy’s strongest team performances of the young fall season.

Allgeier and Cullen lead the way

Allgeier and Cullen provided Navy with an experienced combination at the front of the Chesapeake Invitational fleet.

Both entered the fall with significant experience from Navy’s successful 2025-26 season. Cullen was one of six Midshipmen to receive All-MAISA recognition last spring, while Navy finished second at the MAISA Open Fleet Race Championship for the America Trophy.

Navy also won its second consecutive MAISA Open Team Race Championship last April, claiming the Prosser Trophy and earning an automatic berth in the ICSA Team Race National Championship.

That championship experience showed in Annapolis.

Allgeier and Cullen’s first-place finish was complemented by the younger combination of MacWilliams and Garrett finishing second. Garrett is only a freshman, making her runner-up performance alongside MacWilliams another encouraging sign for Navy’s developing roster.

Consistency wins Chesapeake Open

Navy’s path to victory in the Chesapeake Open looked different.

Rather than overwhelming the field with the top two boats, the Midshipmen used consistency throughout a difficult weekend to secure the overall championship.

The nine-team combined-division regatta was contested in FJs and 420s. Conditions closer to the Naval Academy proved less favorable than those at the MAISA Women’s Singlehanded Championship, limiting the Chesapeake Open to only seven completed races over the weekend.

With fewer races available, avoiding a disastrous result became particularly important.

Navy did exactly that.

Both Midshipmen boats finished among the top seven in every completed race. That consistency allowed Navy to accumulate the lowest overall team score and secure its second regatta victory of the weekend.

Senior Hugh Carty, senior Teddy Martin, sophomore Noelle Sizemore and sophomore Jessica Green formed one Navy entry. That group finished tied for first in the combined division before losing the tiebreaker, leaving the Midshipmen second.

Navy’s other boat featured junior Umi Noritake, freshman Cole Fanchi, senior Eva Ottenbreit and junior Melania Gonzalez. They finished only a few points behind their teammates and placed fourth.

With one boat second and another fourth, Navy had enough depth to take the overall team championship.

Fanchi continues strong freshman season

The Chesapeake Open also provided another noteworthy performance from Fanchi.

The freshman had already made an immediate impact during Navy’s opening weekend. At the ILCA South in Annapolis, Fanchi battled defending MAISA champion Peter Barnard of Georgetown for the individual title.

Fanchi crossed the finish line well ahead of Barnard in the final race, but Barnard received average points because of a boat breakdown and ultimately edged Fanchi by a single point for the regatta championship. Fanchi nevertheless finished second in one of the deeper ILCA South fields in recent years.

One week later, Fanchi contributed to another strong Navy result as part of the fourth-place boat in the Chesapeake Open.

Those performances provide Navy with another promising young sailor as it attempts to build on last season’s conference and national success.

Lynch-Smith leads Navy at Faye Bennet Trophy

Navy’s third event of the weekend was also its first conference championship of the fall.

The MAISA Women’s Singlehanded Championship for the Faye Bennet Trophy brought 18 sailors to Annapolis. Navy was represented by freshmen Lynch-Smith and Kaya Hancock along with senior Kate Zurinskas.

Conditions presented a major challenge throughout the weekend.

Light winds Saturday allowed race officials to complete only four races. The wind increased Sunday, but major oscillations created additional problems for both the race committee and competitors.

Lynch-Smith handled the changing conditions best among Navy’s three entries.

The freshman displayed good boat speed and technique while putting together a collection of solid finishes. She eventually completed the championship seventh overall, giving Navy a top-10 result in the 18-boat field.

Finishing seventh in the first MAISA championship of her collegiate career represents an encouraging start for Lynch-Smith.

Zurinskas wins a race

Zurinskas provided one of Navy’s biggest individual highlights of the championship.

The senior opened Sunday by winning a race, demonstrating that she had the speed to compete at the front of the fleet when conditions aligned. She was unable to maintain that momentum throughout the remainder of the day and eventually finished 11th overall.

Hancock experienced a similar weekend.

The freshman was particularly effective when the wind increased Sunday morning. However, lighter conditions prevailed for much of the competition, and Hancock had difficulty maintaining the same results when the breeze weakened.

She eventually placed 12th overall.

Although Navy did not capture the Faye Bennet Trophy, the Midshipmen placed all three sailors within the top 12 of the 18-boat championship field.

Two of those competitors — Lynch-Smith and Hancock — are freshmen.

That gives Navy valuable experience and potential development opportunities as the fall continues.

A strong response after opening weekend

Navy entered the weekend already showing considerable promise.

The Midshipmen began their 2026-27 season Sept. 12-13 by competing in three regattas. Navy hosted both the ILCA South and Navy Women’s Fall Regatta while also sending sailors to the Riley Cup in Norfolk, Virginia.

Fanchi’s second-place finish highlighted the ILCA South, while Navy also earned a runner-up team finish at the Navy Women’s Fall Regatta.

The following weekend represented another step forward.

Instead of two runner-up finishes, Navy captured two championships.

That early progression is notable for a program coming off a successful 2025-26 season that included another MAISA team-racing championship and an appearance at the ICSA Team Race National Championship.

Championship experience throughout Navy roster

The Midshipmen are not starting from scratch this fall.

Navy won the Prosser Trophy last April to repeat as MAISA Open Team Race champion. The Midshipmen went through the opening round of that championship undefeated before ultimately securing the conference title and an automatic national championship berth.

Navy then advanced to the top-eight round of the ICSA Team Race National Championship in New Orleans, eventually finishing eighth nationally with an 11-10 record.

The program also received significant individual recognition.

Six Midshipmen earned All-MAISA honors following the America Trophy last spring, while eight sailors received ICSA All-Academic recognition for their combination of competitive and classroom performance.

Several experienced sailors from that successful group are now helping Navy integrate a talented collection of freshmen.

The Chesapeake weekend illustrated that combination well. Seniors Allgeier and Cullen won the Invitational division, while freshmen Garrett, Fanchi and Lynch-Smith all made significant contributions across the three regattas.

Another busy weekend awaits Navy

There will be little time for Navy to slow down.

The Midshipmen return to competition Sept. 26-27 with another three-event weekend. Navy is scheduled to compete at the Intrepid Trophy and St. Mary’s Open while also holding the Navy Home Scrimmage.

The upcoming weekend will provide Navy with another opportunity to evaluate different combinations and continue developing its younger sailors.

Through the first two weekends of the fall, the results have already been impressive.

Navy has collected two championships, two runner-up finishes and several notable individual performances.

MSB Take

Winning two regattas during the same weekend is impressive. The way Navy accomplished it may be even more encouraging.

The Chesapeake Invitational demonstrated Navy’s ability to dominate a fleet. All three Midshipmen boats finished in the top five, with Allgeier and Cullen taking first and MacWilliams and Garrett placing second. Winning the event by 49 points left little question about which program controlled that regatta.

The Chesapeake Open tested a different quality. Conditions limited the field to seven races, increasing the importance of avoiding bad finishes. Navy responded by putting both boats among the top seven in every race. That consistency produced another championship even though the Midshipmen did not win the combined division individually.

Then there was the Faye Bennet Trophy.

Lynch-Smith finishing seventh in an 18-boat conference championship during her freshman season is a result worth watching. Hancock also showed speed in stronger winds, while Zurinskas demonstrated Navy’s potential by winning a race Sunday.

That mixture of veteran leadership and freshman production could become extremely important later in the season. Navy already proved last year that it can compete at the conference and national levels, repeating as MAISA Open Team Race champion before finishing eighth at the ICSA Team Race National Championship.

Two weeks into the new fall campaign, the Midshipmen appear to have plenty of depth remaining.

Two home regattas produced two Navy victories. For a program with championship expectations, that is an excellent way to build early-season momentum.