RALEIGH, N.C., OCTOBER 31, 2018 – Weekend 8 was Championship Weekend in SAISA with both Women's and Co-Ed events on the calendar hosted on the St. Johns River by Jacksonville University. Saturday's Women's event tested sailors in some seriously gnarly conditions with wind, waves, and current, all ripping. In the Co-Ed event, raced late on Saturday afternoon and reconvened on Sunday, sailors faced lighter, shiftier breeze while the aggressive current remained a major factor. Through their performance in both the Women's and Co-Ed championship regattas, the South Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association recognizes Alie Toppa and Annabel Carrington of the College of Charleston, and Marina Barzaghi and Darby Capellin of the University of South Florida as the Week 8 Sailors of the Week for both Women's and Co-Ed competition. These talented sailors finished Women's Champs 1-2 in the A-division helping their teams to an overall podium finish for the event in first and third place respectively. The two squads also earned bullets in 8 of the 10 races held in the division.
After a full day of racing in Women's, the pairs of Toppa and Carrington, and Barzaghi and Capellin kept their strong performance going in B-division of the Co-Ed Championships regatta. The two pairs finished yet again 1st and 2nd for the event, combining for bullets on more than half the races held in their division throughout the event. They averaged 2nd and 4th place on the day and had no finishes above 4th or 7th respectively throughout the regatta. Their strong performance in Co-Ed helped the College of Charleston and the University of South Florida finish the regatta yet again on the podium with first and third place overall respectively for the event. Both Toppa and Carrington, and Barzaghi and Capellin were recognized earlier in the season as SAISA Sailors of the Week, as well.