Complete Results:  Riley Cup  ||  Laser South

NORFOLK, Va. -- Capturing a pair of top-ten finishes in the opening weekend of action, the Christopher Newport sailing team put the finishing touches on a strong season opener at the Riley Cup and Laser South regattas. The Captains finished 9th out of 15 teams at the Riley Cup and 10th out of 18 teams in the Laser South Qualifier. 

In Norfolk, the CNU sailing team battled a tight group in the middle of the fleet and edged out St. Mary's (Md.) and Washington College by two and three points, respectively, while trailing Virginia Tech by just three points. The Captains finished ninth with 161 total points over the two day event, scoring 76 points in A division and 85 points in B division. 

The A division tandem of Brian Fox and Emily Learn finished in ninth place with 76 points over the nine completed races. The duo finished second once, in race number three, and wrapped up the event with seven top-ten showings. The B division boat also finished outside of the top ten only twice and had an extremely consistent regatta finishing between eighth and 11th in all nine races. The B division boat, which also finished in ninth, was sailed by Daniel Hodges and Julia Burns in the first six races and then by Luke Hayes and Shelby Svilich in the final three. 

In the Laser South Qualifier, David Grace fell just six points shy of a conference championship qualifying position when he captured 10th place with 138 points. George Washington University senior Michael Ehnot edged out the Captains junior in the final four races of the regatta to squeak by and take the ninth and final qualifying spot. 

Grace finished a regatta-best second once in the singlehanded event and logged nine top-ten finishes. The CNU veteran was tied for eighth halfway through the regatta with 70 points through eight races. 

Next up for Christopher Newport sailing is the Kingsmill Cup hosted by the College of William & Mary next weekend in Williamsburg, Va.