STANFORD, Calif. - After losing most of his starting squad in the offseason, seventh-year head coach John Vandemoer was tasked with an uphill battle in 2014-15. With eight freshmen, an uneven squad, and several question marks going into the season, Stanford dominated the PCCSC and made several strong national championship appearances.
Sailing Big
The Cardinal continued its supremacy over Cal in the Big Sail, an annual exhibition held by the two Bay Area rivals. The all-senior squad of Hans Henken, Kieran Chung, Haley Kirk and Max Kohrman cruised to victory in the best-of-three series by sweeping the first two races. This was the tenth season in a row in which Stanford has won the Big Sail.
The atmosphere was the real star of the show, as both bands performed throughout the races inside the yacht club and out on the balcony overlooking San Francisco Bay. The sailors were so close to the club that they could hear the bands as they sailed, making the Big Sail unlike any other regatta on the schedule.
Busiest Weekend Ever?
On the weekend of March 28-29, Stanford sent four squads to various events across the nation; the Aaron Szambecki Team Race in Norfolk, Virginia, the Duplin Women’s Team Race in Medford, Massachusetts, the Friis Team Race in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the South Designate in Los Angeles.
A win at the Duplin Women’s Team Race and a runner-up finish at the Aaron Szambecki Team Race highlighted the madness. In all, 24 Cardinal sailors were in action, the most of any weekend over the course of the season.
Singlehanded Specialist
Freshman Luke Muller wasted no time establishing himself as one of the top singlehanded sailors in the nation. The Fort Pierce, Florida native made his collegiate debut at the Navy Fall, manning the singlehanded C-division for the Cardinal. Over 15 races, Muller bagged 13 top-10 finishes, eight top-threes, and two victories en route to winning the division.
Muller continued his impressive performances at the PCCSC Men’s Singlehanded championship, beating out senior captain Kieran Chung for the title. The win sent Muller to nationals, where he would eventually finish second.
Henken’s Perfection
Hans Henken, a senior from Coronado, California, was unbeatable in his three PCCSC championship appearances. The aeronautics and astronautics major helped Stanford win the PCCSC Match Racing Championship, the Mark Healy Coed Conference Championship, and the Carter Ford Team Race Championship.
Throughout the three events, Henken never lost a race; he helped Stanford go 6-0 to win the match racing championship, went 7-0 in the coed competition, and finished his PCCSC career with an 11-0 performance to claim the team racing title.
PCCSCweep
Stanford once again dominated the PCCSC Conference Championships, winning all six events. The Cardinal won the PCCSC Fall Women’s and the PCCSC Match Racing Championship, while freshman Luke Muller narrowly edged senior Kieran Chung in the PCCSC Singlehanded Championship. Sally Mace also captured the PCCSC Women's Singlehanded Championship.
In the spring, Stanford continued its reign over the conference with wins at the Carley Dole Memorial Women’s Championship, the Mark Healy Coed Conference Championship, and the Carter Ford Team Race Championship.
Top Five in the Nation
Stanford finished fifth in the Fowle Trophy, an annual competition based on teams’ finishes at the six national championships throughout the year. The Cardinal racked up 75.05 points over the course of the men’s singlehanded, women’s singlehanded, match racing, coed racing, team racing, and women’s championships.
Awards Season
Four Stanford sailors earned All-America honors this season, as announced by the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association. The Cardinal had at least one representative in each of the three categories of All-Americans, including coed, crew, and women’s.
Senior captains Kieran Chung and Haley Kirk were named coed All-America skipper and All-America crew, respectively. This was the second All-America honor bestowed on both Chung and Kirk. Junior Antoine Screve earned honorable mention coed All-America skipper, while sophomore Lily Katz was named honorable mention All-America women’s skipper. Chung was also awarded the Robert H. Hobbs Trophy, given annually to college sailing’s sportsman of the year.
