The Luce Regatta
Frankly, this has been a poor season for us in terms of how we have placed in many of our regattas. We had expected it to be a very good one since virtually the entire team was expected to return. But the loss of our best skipper, the result of multiple suspensions relating to an unwillingness to comply with Athletic Department academic requirements, was a major blow and one we couldn’t totally overcome. In a smaller team like ours, the depth of talent isn’t so great and the loss of one player can have a major impact.
IMAGE: Taylor Gray, Jessica Thall, Maghan Magee, Taylor Morgan, Maxwell Plarr, Lynn Ball, and Amy Craven
But sometimes these setbacks can yield positive results, and in this case, it did. The remaining team members were quite close in ability and our practices became more productive for each individual. We were forced to try some new and different combinations that have worked out well. In a season when most of our new people were women, we put an all women’s team on the water for the first time in many years. While nearly everyone on the team made significant advances, Jessica Thal and Taylor Morgan made the greatest gains and this was clear at the Luce Regatta.
The Luce is what we often call “the Runner-up Bowl.” The teams that fail to qualify for the War Memorial may sail in the Luce where their scores for the season rank just below the last place team at the War.
Columbia had the strongest team at Hampton, and they took first place over the hosts, Hampton University. For most of the regatta CNU was in fourth place behind Villanova. Races 1 through 6 in both divisions were sailed on Saturday with good weather and good winds. A front came through on Saturday night and Sunday was far colder and the winds more shifty as they came off the land. Taylor Morgan and Amy Craven sailed the two remaining A division races and posted an excellent 3rd and 4th. Jessica and her crew, Maghan Magee, sailed all of the B Division races for the weekend, never placing below 4th. But their final two races, both second place finishes, were just what we needed to move ahead of Villanova by a single point.
Only our annual Alumni Regatta and our season ending trip to Charleston for the SAISA/MAISA Regatta remain for the season. But this will be a real “fun” event as many of our favorite competitors will also be there. William & Mary, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Hampton, Ocean County and Old Dominion will also be making the trip south on the weekend before Thanksgiving.