The sailing team placed first at the Illinois State Championship regatta on May 8, scoring a total of 37 points between the two pairs that competed. The team is now preparing for the national qualifier, which will take place May 15 in Cleveland.

In the A division, senior Philip Lengyel and junior Ben Luu won first place with 20 points. In the B division, junior Adler Wright and sophomore Elizabeth Frost placed second with 17 points. This competition took place at the Sheridan Shore Sailing School with 14 schools participating.  

“I’m really proud of us, it was a really small team because a lot of us couldn’t go, which actually worked better because we were able to focus on our partnerships,” Ben said. 

Despite heavy wind, the team was able to compete well. 

“The wind that day kept shifting, but we were able to use that in our favor,” Ben said. “Every time the wind shifted we would tack.” 

According to Athletics Director David Ribbens, the sailing team was unable to compete over the fall due to the pandemic, but is looking forward to the rest of the spring season. 

“They have been in three or four regattas as part of the spring season, and they still have more competitions to go,” Mr. Ribbens said. 

This competition was a stand alone, but if the team performs well in Cleveland, they will qualify for nationals.

“We’ve always known we have the potential to do well, but never capitalized on it,” Ben said. “So this shows us that we can do well against all of the other Chicago teams.”