LIHAN DOMINATES U.S. JUNIOR WOMEN’S SINGLEHANDED CHAMPIONSHIP, WINS US SAILING’S LEITER TROPHY

La Porte, TX (July 27, 2006) – Sarah Lihan (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) is practically breathing a sigh of relief today: after years of practice and racing in numerous regattas, the 17-year-old has finally won the U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship on her fourth attempt. This year, she clearly dominated the fleet of 56 boats, winning five out of seven races. But her win may not have been as easy as it sounds, as she was up against sailors like Ann Haeger (Lake Forest, Ill.) and Claire Dennis (Saratoga, Calif.), who finished second and third respectively and both of whom had competed in the event before.

The event was a qualifier for the 2007 US Youth World Team, which represents the USA at the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship in Kingston, Ontario in 2007. Unfortunately, Lihan, who will turn 18 next month, will be too old to compete in that event next year. Instead, Ann Haeger will go to Canada next year. “At least I got my name on the trophy,” said a happy Lihan about getting her name engraved on US SAILING’s Nancy Leiter Clagett Memorial Trophy for winning the U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship.

This was not the first time Lihan and Haeger raced against each other. Just last month, Haeger finished fourth at the U.S. Youth Championship while Lihan finished 12th.
And at last year’s U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship, the two finished third and fourth respectively.

“I am ecstatic and can't wait to go the Youth Worlds,” said Haeger. “Lihan had an amazing event. I thought it was kind of strange that we finished in the same positions as last year.”

This is the first junior national championship title for Lihan, the youngest female member of the 2006 US Sailing Team. She has been on the road since the beginning of May competing in events at home and abroad. And she’s not quite done yet, she now travels to California Yacht Club in Marina Del Rey to compete in the Laser Radial World Championship, which starts this weekend. Hopefully for her she’ll be able to take some time off from her travels until she enters Yale University as a freshman this fall.

The 2006 U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship was hosted by Houston Yacht Club and sponsored by Vanguard Sailboats. For complete results, daily updates, and pictures, please visit the event’s website at www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/usjrw/single. The event is part of US SAILING’s National Championship series. For more information about the National Championship series, visit www.ussailing.org/championships or contact US SAILING’s championships manager Liz Walker at 401-683-0800.

About Vanguard Sailboats
Demonstrating a continuing commitment to youth sailing, U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship is once again sponsored by Vanguard Sailboats, manufacturer of the Laser Radial boats used in the event. Vanguard Sailboats has been a dedicated sponsor of numerous U.S. National Championships for more than a decade. Vanguard supports and sponsors sailing at many levels, encouraging sailors in the U.S. to participate in and enjoy the sport, and ensuring great competition among sailors. Visit their website at www.teamvanguard.com.  

About US SAILING
The United States Sailing Association (US SAILING) is the national governing body for sailing and sailboat racing. Headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, the organization’s mission is to encourage participation and promote excellence in sailing and racing in the U.S. US SAILING offers training and education programs, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including the US Sailing Teams and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Teams. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.  

Final results
1. Sarah Lihan (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.); 2-1-[4]-1-1-1-1: 7.00 points
2. Ann Haeger (Lake Forest, Ill.); 1-2-[12]-5-2 -2-6: 18.00 points
3. Claire Dennis (Saratoga, Calif.); 3-[5]-1-3-5- 5- 2: 19.00 points
4. Krysta Rohde (Richmond, Ga.); [57/OCS]-3-2-6-6-8-3: 28.00 points
5. Carolyn Prioleau (Houston, TX); 4-7-[8]- 2-4 -6-5: 28.00 points

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