Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Sophomore Takes Sixth Against Stiff Competition

Even though he was competing in an individual sailing event, sophomore Charlie Buckingham must have felt like he was seeing double over the weekend.

Buckingham came in sixth in the ICSA Singlehanded Nationals, his same result as last year. The competition this time around, however, was much more difficult and included several Olympians.

“We know that he could have done better,” Head Coach Mike Callahan said of Buckingham. “But there was a much more difficult fleet this year. It was much deeper than last year, so a sixth-place finish this year is different than one last year.”

After winning the first heat and finishing second in the third heat of the 18-heat regatta, Buckingham had several 12th-place finishes. He recovered in the middle heats to take top-five results in six of eight heats, but came in 12th and ninth in late races.

“He had a couple of bad races that put him out of contention at the end,” Callahan said.

Buckingham finished with 107 points, two behind Yale’s Thomas Barrows. Cy Thompson of Roger Williams University and Kyle Rogachenko of Old Dominion University each had 75 points after 18 heats, but Thompson took the title because he finished first in more heats than Rogachenko (three to two).

Though Buckingham was racing against Olympians at the regatta, he had the help of one of his own. Andrew Campbell (SFS ’06), who represented the United States in the Laser sailing at the 2008 Beijing Games, coached Buckingham from the shore. Callahan said that Buckingham benefited from Campbell’s guidance. Campbell, a three-time singlehanded champion while sailing with the Hoyas, coaches Buckingham several times a year.

While Buckingham was sailing this weekend, the rest of the GU sailing team was resting. Callahan gave his squad a week off to catch up with schoolwork – something he does once a season. The well-rested coed squad will compete in the MAISA Championship at Old Dominion in Norfolk, Va., next weekend.

According to Callahan, the coed team has not had their best lineup in the water yet this fall, due to trying new pairings and the norovirus. The team is still ranked seventh in the nation.

The women’s team has their conference championship the following weekend at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.

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