SODARO DOMINATES U.S. WOMEN’S SAILING CHAMPIONSHIP
TO WIN ADAMS CUP A SECOND TIME

Cleveland, OH (September 18, 2006) - It was a Californian sweep at the end of the U.S. Women's Championship, hosted by Edgewater Yacht Club and sailed in J/24s, as the team of Vicki Sodaro (Tiburon, Calif.), Stephanie Wondolleck (San Rafael, Calif.), Karina Vogen Shelton (Watsonville, Calif.), and Emily French (Santa Cruz, Calif.) representing Northern California won the title to take home US SAILING's Mrs. Charles Francis Adams Trophy. This was the second time for Sodaro to win the Adams Cup (she also won it in 2002), one of the oldest women's sports trophies in the United States. Meanwhile, another team from California finished in second place.

Sodaro and her team came out with a bang on the first day of racing, taking bullets in the first three races of the day. Throughout the four-day regatta, Sodaro’s team dominated the Championship, winning eight out of 11 races. "I had just a great crew and that made it nice,” said Sodaro. “All I had to do was steer."

After a disappointing day on Friday, the second team from California, led by Susan Taylor (Los Angeles, Calif.) with crew Kellie Fennessy (Torrance, Calif.), Denise George (Los Angeles, Calif.) and Michelle Ondrey (Santa Monica, Calif.), managed to come back with a sixth place finish in the final race to finish second overall to take home US SAILING's Mrs. Willis Woods Trophy.

In third place and winner of the Alexander Guest Trophy was the team of Anne Mooney (Oyster Bay, N.Y.), Christina Blaise (Locust Valley, N.Y.), Alexandra Hahn (Oyster Bay, N.Y.) and Nina DeNigris (Oyster Bay, N.Y.). The team from Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club also took home the Francis McElwain Wakeman Sportsmanship Award.

For complete results, daily reports, and photos from the Championships, please visit the event website at www.ussailing.org/championships/adult/women/uswsc.  

The U.S. Women’s Sailing Championship is part of US SAILING’s National Adult Championships, all of which are sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A., Inc. For more information on the event, which was also sponsored by Dry Creek Vineyard, please visit www.ussailing.org/championships or contact US SAILING’s Championships Manager Liz Walker at championships@ussailing.org.

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 National Championships, the US Sailing Teams and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Teams. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.

Final results
1. Vicki Sodaro (Tiburon, Calif.), Stephanie Wondolleck (San Rafael, Calif.), Karina Vogen Shelton (Watsonville, Calif.), Emily French (Santa Cruz, Calif.): 1, 1, 1, 3, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 9, 1: 22 points.
2. Susan Taylor (Los Angeles, Calif.), Kellie Fennessy (Torrance, Calif.), Denise George (Los Angeles, Calif.) and Michelle Ondrey (Santa Monica, Calif.): 2, 8,4 ,2, 2, DSQ, 12, 3, 8, 4, 3, 6: 54 points.
3. Anne Mooney (Oyster Bay, N.Y.), Christina Blaise (Locust Valley, N.Y.), Alexandra Hahn (Oyster Bay, N.Y.) and Nina DeNigris (Oyster Bay, N.Y.): 5, 4, 5, 1, 6, 2, 8, 3, 10, 1, RAF, 12: 57 points.
4. Jennifer Warnock (Kaneohe, HI), Bridget Shear (Lahaina, HI), Catherine Greenlee (Kaneohe, HI), Lugene Simeona (Kaneohe, HI): 6, 3, 2, 9, 5, 10, 6, 5, 7, 4, 3:60 points.
5. Natalie Coleman-Fuller (Chatham, Mass.), Allison Coleman (Roslindale, Mass.), Margaret Sampson (Chatham, Mass), Sara Evans (East Greenwich, R.I.): 8, 2, 9, 5, 3, 3, 2, 9, 6, 10, 9: 66 points.

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