Results: Ocean County Spring Open | J70 Invitational
TOMS RIVER, NJ – With consistent performances by both boats over 11 races, the Maritime College sailing team placed second overall at the Ocean County Spring Open on April 6-7. The Privateers' crew of
Jeremy Lunati (Stony Brook, NY) and
Tyler Mendes (Eastchester, NY) finished second in the "A" division, while Maritime's "B" squad also ranked second out of 17 teams at the regatta.
Lunati and Mendes recorded back-to-back wins in Races 8 & 9, their first-ever race victories at the collegiate level. They also had three third-place showings in their 420 and tallied 47 points overall. Lunati was the top freshman skipper at the regatta.
In the "B" division, meanwhile, skipper
Noah Kuzloski (Point Pleasant Beach, NJ) sailed with
Nicholas Cunha (Red Bank, NJ) in the first 10 races before
Ryan Sylvester (St. George's, Grenada) replaced Cunha in the final race. Kuzloski and Cunha won the third and ninth races, while the boat had 10 Top 3 placements across the 11-race series. In the only race where Maritime didn't finish in the Top 3, the Privateers ended up fifth. Maritime's team score in the "B" division was 29 points.
The Privateers sat in third place overall midway through Saturday, but moved into second overnight on the strength of their strong showings in the fifth and sixth races. Maritime held that position throughout Sunday, finishing with 76 total points. Hampton led the regatta wire-to-wire and had a team score of 34 points.
Maritime's offshore team was also in action at the second Coast Guard J70 Invitational. There were 14 races held across Saturday and Sunday, with the Privateers' best results coming in Races 8 & 11, when they captured third place. Overall, Maritime's crew skipped by
Isabelle Gautier (Pascagoula, MS) ended up eighth overall with 88 points. Joining Gautier in the boat were
Ethan Narofsky (East Chatham, NY) and
James Jensen (Lynbrook, NY), as well as
Brooks Turcotte (Chautauqua, NY), who was replaced by
Carianne Sconzo (Rockaway Beach, NY) on Sunday.
Up next for the Privateers is the first of back-to-back home regattas. In addition to hosting the annual Truxtun Umsted on Saturday and Sunday, April 13-14, Maritime will send a small contingent to Boston for the Oberg Open, hosted by MIT.
