US SAILING
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Cynthia Goss
203-453-2731

Winners Crowned at U.S. Men's and Women's Sailing Championships

San Diego, Calif. (September 16, 2007) – After four days of racing, winners were crowned at US SAILING’s U.S. Men's Sailing Championship for the Clifford D. Mallory Cup and U.S. Women's Sailing Championship for the Mrs. Charles Francis Adams Cup, hosted September 11-15 by the Southwestern Yacht Club (San Diego, Calif.). Local San Diego sailors Brian Camet, Daniel Camet, and Alex Camet captured the Mallory Cup, and
Lake Michigan skipper Elizabeth Altman (Chicago, Ill.) racing with Nancy Heffernan (St. Louis, Mo.) Vickie Matthews (Chicago, Ill.) and Marie Hansson (Chicago, Ill.) won the Adams Cup. Competitors from throughout the U.S.—who qualified via regional ladder elimination events, or were selected by resume—raced Etchells at both events, sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A. and Dry Creek Vineyard.

For Mallory Cup winner Brian Camet, racing with his father and brother as crew, consistency paid—as well as a family ethos to simply "have fun," said Camet after racing's end. The Camet family, sailing for San Diego Yacht Club, never finished worse than a fourth place in this no-discard series to log a large 15-point edge over the second-place boat in the final standings. The Camets did not need to sail the final race to capture the title.

Lake Michigan sailor Jane Pegel won this national title 50 years ago, but no Lake Michigan sailor had yet to follow in her footsteps—until Betsy Altman and her crew logged their victory yesterday. Altman skippered a series that included wins in seven individual races for a 10-point lead in the final standings. This Chicago Yacht Club crew did not have to sail the final race to capture the title, an achievement that Altman attributed to her crew at series’ end.

Second-place team Kaitlin Storck, Melissa Pumphrey (both of Medford, Mass.), Lyndsey Gibbons-Neff (Rosemont, Penn.) and Gretchen Curtis (Marblehead, Mass.) received the Mrs. Willis D. Wood Trophy. The Alexander Gest trophy went to the third-place team of Colleen Cooke, Patricia Bazan and Summer Greene (all of San Diego, Calif.), who represented the host yacht club at the championship.

In second place for the U.S. Men’s Championship was the second San Diego Yacht Club team of Chris Busch (Coronado, Calif.), Bill Bennett, and Mike Herlihy (both of San Diego, Calif.). Defending champion Scott Young, John Morran (both Austin, Texas) and Matt Romberg (Round Rock, Texas) were awarded third place, as well as the Stanton J. Peele, Jr. Sportsmanship Trophy.

The Francis McElwain Wakeman Sportsmanship Award was awarded to Chicago skipper Nicole Didyk and her crew. The team had hit the pin at the finish of the third race and re-rounded, but the Race Committee did not see the incident and awarded them their original finish of fourth. In true Corinthian spirit, Didyk approached the Race Committee and had her finish redressed.

The Royal Victoria Yacht Club Seamanship Award was granted to event chairs Sandra Sherman and Ian Trotter, for exhibiting the best seamanship during this championship regatta.

Complete results, daily reports, and photos are posted at each championship's website. For the U.S. Men’s Sailing Championship, visit www.ussailing.org/championships/adult/usmsc. For the U.S. Women’s Sailing Championship, visit www.ussailing.org/championships/adult/women/uswsc. Both events are part of US SAILING’s National Championships; for more information about these events, visit www.ussailing.org/championships.  

About Rolex Watch U.S.A.
Returning for its eleventh year as sponsor of all US SAILING Adult Championships, including title sponsor of the Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship, Rolex Watch U.S.A. continues to demonstrate its support of the development of the sport of sailing. Many of the Championships also offer Rolex clinics, which are designed to give sailors an opportunity to improve their racing experience through on-the-water or on-shore training from local or class experts. Since Rolex Watch U.S.A. first presented timepieces to America’s Cup defenders in 1958, the company has consistently endeavored to recognize and encourage excellence in every important arena of competitive sailing, including Olympic Games preparation, US SAILING Championships, disabled sailing, and offshore, one-design and women’s events.

About US SAILING
The United States Sailing Association (US SAILING) is the national governing body for sailing. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, the organization provides leadership for the sport of sailing in the United States. US SAILING offers training and education programs for instructors and race officials, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, issues offshore rating certificates, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including National Championships and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Teams. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.

FINAL RESULTS (top 3)

U.S. Men's Sailing Championship (10 boats / 10 races / no discards)
1. Brian Camet/Daniel Camet/Alex Camet (all from San Diego, Calif.); 4, 2, 3, 1, 2, 2, 1, 1, 2, 4: 22 points
2. Chris Busch/Bill Bennett/Mike Herlihy (Coronado, Calif./San Diego, Calif./San Diego, Calif.); 2, 1, 4, 4, 3, 6, 6, 5, 3, 3: 37 points
3. Scott Young/John Morran/Matt Romberg (Austin, Texas/Austin, Texas/Round Rock, Texas); 1, 11/OCS, 1, 3, 5, 5, 3, 3, 5, 1: 38 points

U.S. Women's Sailing Championship (11 boats / 11 races / no discards)
1. Elizabeth Altman/Nancy Heffernan/Vickie Matthews/Marie Hansson (Chicago, Ill./St. Louis, Mo./Chicago, Ill./Chicago, Ill.); 1, 6, 4, 1, 1, 1, 4, 1, 1, 1, 8: 29 points
2. Kaitlin Storck/Melissa Pumphrey/Lyndsey Gibbons-Neff/Gretchen Curtis (Medford, Mass./Medford, Mass./Rosemont, Penn./Marblehead, Mass.); 4, 3, 2, 4, 5, 6, 2, 2, 3, 4, 4: 39 points
3. Colleen Cooke/Patricia Bazan/Summer Greene (all from San Diego, Calif.); 2, 2, 3, 7, 2, 3, 3, 7, 10, 2, 5: 46 points


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