Dominators

Stephanie Keefe

LONG BEACH - Featuring the top 20 teams from across the United

States, the 2000 High School Sailing National Championships for the

Mallory Trophy saw Newport Harbor High School once again leveling the

playing field.

After a 55-point victory just two weeks ago en route to winning the

qualifier to the Nationals, a poised and confident Newport group again

took top honors by 34 points, winning both divisions in the process.

Hosted May 13-14 at the United States Sailing Center, more than 100

spectators were treated to competitive sailing at its best just off the

Belmont Pier.

The elite of the Interscholastic Sailing Association, the country’s top

teams battled hard over the course of the event, but it was the

California teams which came out on top, with the region’s five entrants

taking first through fifth overall.

Led by Coach Bill Uniack, the perennial favorite Newport Harbor entry won

the 16-race Nationals decisively. Coming off a strong spring where the

team won four of the five regional regattas held this year, varsity team

members Tyler Haskell, Scott Hogan, Meredith Potter and Paige Thompson

led the team to victory, with Gary Grimes and Ryan Marshall helping out

to seal the victory.

Hogan and Potter sailed to A Division victory by eight points, while

Haskell and Thompson dominated their division, winning by 26 points.

Grimes and Marshall substituted in for A and B divisions, respectively.

As for the rest of the competition, Coronado High, Univesity of San Diego

High and The Bishop’s School out of La Jolla, took second, third and

fourth, respectively, while Long Beach Wilson High, led by Newport Beach

resident and coach, Ben Benjamin, took fifth.

The Newport Harbor team is currently practicing for the Team Racing

Nationals for the Baker Trophy with the team’s other varsity members,

namely Kelsey Corcoran and Amy Halvorsen. To be held at Old Dominion

University in Virginia, the NHHS team currently stands as the regatta

favorite.

Skippers will be Haskell, Hogan and Grimes at the helm, defending their

1999 national title.

Led by a core of four seniors, this team has competed in both national

competitions all four years, with two national team racing titles under

their belt. These wins also led to international competition, where the

team participated in the International High School Team Racing

Championships; placing second and third in 1998 and 1999, respectively.

Seniors Haskell (Georgetown), Hogan (Dartmouth) and Thompson (UC Santa

Barbara), along with fellow team member Jennifer Porter (Stanford) will

be carrying on this winning tradition as they head off to college in the

fall to some of the nation’s top sailing programs.