Competitive Sailing: Hampton University remains sharp

One historically black institution can boast of a sports achievement that no other black university can. Indeed, as colleges have transitioned into spring sports, Hampton University has fielded yet another scrappy team that is raising eyebrows in the rarefied, and mostly white, world of competitive collegiate sailing.

Hampton is the only historically black college to have a sailing team, and two Hampton students from Maryland, Jason Major-Henson and Nicole Clark, have been part of the team’s success.

Halfway into the season the Hampton University Pirates have already qualified for the conference championship regatta, the America Trophy, on April 12-13 at Hobart William Smith College in Geneva, N.Y.

Photo: Seniors Ray Potter and Yasmina Beckles helped lead the Pirates to a second place finish in both the A-Division and B-Division at the annual MAISA/SAISA Intersectional (Mid-Atlantic Division vs. Southeast Division) on March 24-25 at the Strawberry Banks.

They qualified by finishing seventh out of 16 teams in the Old Dominion University Open/South No. 1 regatta in March. Besides the Pirates the field at Old Dominion included Georgetown University, Navy, Washington College and St. Mary’s College of Maryland, which finished first and always has a tough squad. Hampton managed to top the University of Maryland, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, William & Mary College and others.

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MORE INFO ON HAMPTON UNIVERSITY CO-ED SAILING PROGRAM: http://www.hamptonpirates.com/index.asp?path=sailing