Landlocked Women Skippers Find Smooth Sailing

Take a quick scan down the list of the top ten finishers at the sailing national championships, and there's one common denominator - surprise! - they're schools near oceans.

All except for one, that is.

Somehow Dartmouth sailing - granite of interior New Hampshire and all has managed to make itself a perennial fixture on the national sailing scene. "If you look at other land-locked schools at national, like Wisconsin and Texas A&M, they aren't nearly as competitive," coach Brian Doyle says. "It's an uphill battle the whole way for us."

This year was no different. Dartmouth managed to qualify for three national-championship races (women's, dinghy, and team), which were held in San Diego in early JUne and finished seventh or better in all three. The Dartmouth women led the way, capturing third, just two points behind second-place Navy. At team championships, Dartmouth barelymissed the final four as it took sixth. At the most prestigious of the three races, the dinghy championships, the Big Green placed seventh.

Dartmouth's leading skippers, seniors Chris McDowell and Whitney Connor, were both named varsity All-Americans (awarded for their performance at all three championships). In doing so, Connor became only the fifth woman to be so honored.

Not bad for a bunch of landlubbers.

Inclined to win: Whitney Connor'95 and Carey Clifford '95 showtheir competitive leanings.