NEWS & REGATTAS
2025 Graduating Class and Upcoming Events
This content is adapted from the Michigan Sailing Team Newsletter. Subscribe to receive updates like this one, right in your inbox!
Dear Friends of the Michigan Sailing Team,
We are proud to announce the graduation of our eight senior team members! Our team won’t be the same without these sailors, and we can’t wait to see what their next adventures will be. Read on to learn more about some of our graduates and their future plans. Also, with the fall semester fast approaching, we’re excited to share more details with you about our upcoming events. We look forward to connecting with many of you at our festivities for Parent and Family Weekend, as well as Alumni Weekend!
Some of our recent graduates. From left to right: Alexis Mountford, Abigail Paul, Bryson Denuyl, Billy Vogel, and Maya Dunn.
Our Graduates
Caroline Grin
Caroline joined the Michigan Sailing Team as a freshman and can confidently say it was one of the best decisions she made in college! She made so many amazing friends and memories for which she will forever be grateful. Some of her team highlights were competing at nationals her freshman and sophomore years, sailing with the keelboat team, and traveling all around the country for regattas. Caroline graduated from Michigan's Ross School of Business with a Bachelor of Business Administration and a minor in Spanish. After some sailing and coaching in Northern Michigan this summer, she will be moving to California in the fall to work for Anheuser-Busch.
Abigail Paul
Abigail double majored in earth and environmental science and French, with a minor in Oceanography. She was on the team all four years, competing in both dinghy and keelboat events across the Midwest and East Coast. After graduation, she will be traveling and doing seasonal work and research with the intention of going to grad school. While she is very unsure of her future plans, she knows that wherever she goes, she will be sailing!
Billy Vogel
Billy majored in aerospace engineering and will be staying at Michigan for one more year to complete a master’s degree. He grew up racing in Optis, 420s, and Lasers in Grosse Pointe and on the East Coast. During his time on the team, he competed in three national championships, won the Midwest singlehanded trophy twice, and served as a Captain in 2024!
Alexis Mountford
Alexis majored in biopsychology, cognition, and neuroscience (BCN) and will be going to University of Illinois Chicago for her doctorate in occupational therapy. Alexis was a valued member of our women’s team and competed as a crew.
Bryson Denuyl
Bryson graduated with a major in aerospace engineering and a minor in climate and space science. He competed with both our dinghy and offshore teams, served as Treasurer of the team in 2024, and sailed in 3 Kennedy Cups!
We are forever grateful for our graduates and their impact on our team. Here is our full 2024-2025 graduating class:
Bryson Denuyl
Maya Dunn
Gordon Fream
Caroline Grin
Alexis Mountford
Abigail Paul
Billy Vogel
Brandon Wortman
Parent and Family Weekend
Join us in Ann Arbor September 13 and 14, 2025 for the University of Michigan Sailing Team’s Parent and Family Weekend festivities! This year, we will have a Parent and Family gathering prior to the football game V.S. Central Michigan University on Saturday, September 13, and a brunch on Sunday, September 14. More details will be shared soon. We hope to see you there!
Alumni Weekend
Calling all alumni: you’re invited to our annual alumni festivities! First, join us on Saturday, October 4 for a social gathering with current and former team members prior to the football game against Wisconsin. Then, return to Baseline on Sunday, October 5 for the Marjorie Barondes Alumni Regatta! Stay tuned for more information.
Thank You!
Thank you for keeping up with the University of Michigan Sailing Team! We hope to see many of you soon at our upcoming events.
Go Blue!
The Michigan Sailing Team
Spring Update
This content is adapted from the Michigan Sailing Team Newsletter. Subscribe to receive updates like this one, right in your inbox!
Dear Friends of the Michigan Sailing Team,
With our spring season nearly complete, we have a lot going on at the moment! We have had a very successful season so far. This year, our team double qualified for nationals, earning automatic berths in both Open Team Race and Open Fleet Race Nationals! After a competitive weekend at Brown for Open Team Race Nationals at the end of April, the team is ready for Open Fleet Race Nationals at St. Mary’s College of Maryland!
Nina Gonzalez ‘27 and Jack Homa ‘27 at Open Team Race Nationals
Giving Blueday: Thank You!
We are excited to share that our community raised $3,780 on Giving Blueday this year! We are eternally grateful to our 33 donors for their generous support of our team. This year, your contribution on Giving Blueday helped our team cover our coaching expenses for this spring. Our access to coaching has been truly impactful this year, and we hope to see this upward trajectory continue!
Spring Break Training
Over spring break, 15 members of the Michigan Sailing Team traveled to New Orleans, Louisiana for a week of intensive practice. The sailors spent five days training on Lake Pontchartrain with coach Ciara Rodriguez-Horan, a former Tulane All-American sailor. Conditions varied from light wind to gusts of 25 knots and chop. Unfortunately, one day of practice was spent off the water due to unsafe conditions. However, this day was fully utilized with a chalk talk and team sports. The team learned a lot throughout the week, most notably regarding fleet management, start line strategies, crewing techniques, and wind patterns. It was a fun week both on and off the water, as well as great preparation for the spring season. We are proud of the dedication of these sailors and the progress they made!
Dave Perry Team Racing Clinic
In March, we welcomed Dave Perry back to Ann Arbor for another highly beneficial team racing clinic. We spent two full days on the water and in the classroom with Dave, which were well-spent with productive drills, one-on-one coaching, and impactful chalk talks. Our team experienced tremendous growth during the clinic, with many of our team members who previously had little or no experience with team racing becoming confident team racers! With our very own Big 10 Team Race starting the following day, the clinic proved to be excellent preparation for the regatta, as our Wolverines took first place after a dominant performance.
Regattas
Our spring season is nearly complete, with only Open Fleet Race Nationals remaining. This season, we traveled to seven different states, were represented in regattas by 27 sailors, and had first place finishes in two regattas. With conditions varying from freezing temperatures in Minnesota to warm and sunny in Wilmington, we saw it all! By taking second place in the MCSA Open Fleet Race Championship and winning the MCSA Open Team Race Championship, we qualified for Open Fleet Race and Open Team Race Nationals! Our full scores for the season can be viewed on Techscore.
Last month, the team competed in the Team Race National Championship, sailing against the top competition in the country. Over two days of challenging conditions, the regatta proved to be a valuable and successful experience. Despite the stiff competition, the team competed hard, learned a lot, and had fun throughout the event. We hope that attending this national championship will help launch our team to greater heights and inspire us to not only return next year, but to also improve our performance in the standings.
Thank You!
Thank you for keeping up with the Michigan Sailing Team! We look forward to sharing more exciting news with you all. Stay tuned for recognition of our graduated seniors, upcoming events, and more!
Go Blue!
The Michigan Sailing Team
Michigan Sailing Giving Blueday & Winter Announcements
This content is adapted from the Michigan Sailing Team Newsletter. Subscribe to receive updates like this one, right in your inbox!
Dear Friends of the Michigan Sailing Team,
We have lots to share with you! Get ready for Giving Blueday on March 19, and read on to learn more about head coach James Cooper and our Coaching Initiative. Looking ahead, we are excited to announce our Spring schedule and invite you all to a presentation from racing expert Dave Perry!
Kate Simcoe ‘26 and Grace Redner ‘27 at Women’s ACTs
Giving Blueday
Thank you for being a valued member of our community. Donors, alumni, and friends of our team, including you, enable us to be successful and competitive as a club team competing against varsity programs. We are proud to be a part of Recreational Sports at U-M, a tradition that began more than 100 years ago.
As a supporter of the University of Michigan Sailing Team, you have a significant impact. Our team continues to represent the University of Michigan at the highest level in collegiate sailing, strive for national championships, and provide community and support for our team members. Some of the highlights of our year so far include:
A second-place finish overall at the MCSA Open Fall Championship
Kate Simcoe winning the MCSA Women’s Singlehanded Championship
The addition of 21 talented new team members
Left: Kate Simcoe ‘26 with the Katherine A. Fellows Trophy for winning the MCSA Women’s Singlehanded Championship.
Right: MCSA Fall Championship team. Pictured from left to right: Grace Redner, Alex Reynolds, Billy Vogel, Coach Cooper, Braden Vogel, Alden Gort, and Nina Gonzalez.
These accomplishments are built on many previous acts of generosity, and we hope to see this financial assistance again this year, so please save-the-date for Giving Blueday 2025, which will take place on Wednesday, March 19. To donate online on Giving Blueday, visit our Giving Blueday website.
This day will be an opportunity to make a gift to the University of Michigan Sailing Team as we collectively work to keep this community thriving.
Sailing Development
This year, our Spring Break training will be at Southern Yacht Club in New Orleans, Louisiana with coach Ciara Rodriguez-Horan. As a former Tulane ICSA All-American sailor with years of experience coaching in New Orleans, Ciara knows the location well and will be an excellent coach. We look forward to sailing in New Orleans, where the consistent winds and variety of conditions will provide a unique environment for us to hone our skills, improve adaptability, and gain valuable experience.
You’re Invited: Dave Perry Presentation. We will be hosting racing expert Dave Perry for a team racing clinic on March 27 and 28. After a productive and beneficial clinic last year, we look forward to his return to Ann Arbor! As a part of his time with us, Dave Perry will be giving a presentation titled The If Only Blues – Why We Make Poor Decisions. All are welcome to attend, and we hope to see you there!
Spring Regatta Schedule
We are looking forward to a busy spring semester with many regattas! Here is our spring regatta schedule:
March 15 - 16: St. Mary’s Women’s Fleet Race @ St. Mary’s College of Maryland
March 22 - 23: 1st Year Icebreaker @ University of Notre Dame
March 29 - 30: Big 10 Team Race @ Home
April 4 - 5: MCSA Open Team Race Qualifier @ University of St. Thomas
April 5 - 6: MCSA Open Fleet Race Qualifier @ University of St. Thomas
April 11 - 12: MCSA Women’s Team Race Qualifier @ University of Wisconsin
April 12 - 13: MCSA Women’s Fleet Race Qualifier @ University of Wisconsin
April 12 - 13: Laker Showdown @ Grand Valley State University
April 12 - 13: J70s @ Coast Guard Academy
April 19 - 20: NU Spring @ Northwestern University
You’re Invited: Big 10 Team Race. Our home regatta this season is the Big 10 Team Race. All are welcome to join us at Michigan Sailing Club for this regatta to watch races, meet our team, and see our facilities! The Schedule is as follows:
Saturday, March 29:
0930 First Warning Signal
Sunday, March 30:
0930 First Warning Signal
1300 No Starting Signal After 1 PM
Thank You!
Thank you for keeping up with the Michigan Sailing Team! Giving Blueday is fast approaching, and we hope you will choose to support our team! We have a lot to be excited for this spring, and we are looking forward to seeing members of our community at our upcoming events!
Go Blue!
The Michigan Sailing Team
Regatta Report: GLIOR
The Wolverines competed at the Great Lakes intercollegiate Offshore Regatta in Chicago this past weekend (September 23-24).
SAILORS
Helm - Joe Serpa (‘24)
Main Trim - Sam Stephens (‘25)
Jib Trim - Bryson DenUyl (‘24)
Spin Trim/Tactics - Ted Sherman (‘27)
Bow - Zach Beyer (‘25)
Mast - River Servia (‘27)
Pit - Gordon Fream (‘25)
summary
This past weekend, the Wolverines competed at GLIOR in Chicago. The wind conditions were variable throughout the weekend but consistent during races. The team sailed well together. Although they didn’t place as well as they hoped, the team felt that they worked well together, and it was a tightly packed fleet. The team was happy to be able to socialize with other teams and enjoy some great sailing!
Regatta Report: Weekend of 9/16
During the weekend of September 16-17, we had team at three different regattas: MCSA Singlehanded Champs, Buckeye Invite, and Fall Fury. Click this link to view scores from the weekend!
MCSA Singlehanded championships
open
Billy Vogel ‘25
Ted Sherman ‘27
women’s
Abby Baker ‘25
Abigail Paul ‘25
Kate Simcoe ‘26
summary
The Wolverines had the honor of hosting the MCSA Singlehanded Championships this year at Crescent Sailing Yacht Club in Grosse Pointe, MI. The conditions for the weekend were light, which only allowed us to finish 6 races over the weekend. We would like to congratulate Billy Vogel for winning the Open Division of the regatta, and earning a berth to Singlehanded Nationals in November. Other finishes: Ted Sherman (6th Open), Abigail Paul (2nd Women’s), Kate Simcoe (3rd Women’s), Abby Baker (4th Women’s).
buckeye invitational
sailors
Will Ayers ‘27
Lexie LaCerda-Jones ‘27
Adrian Stone ‘24
Eric D’Urso ‘26
Glen Warren ‘26
summary
The Wolverines put up an awesome performance at the Buckeye Invite Regatta. The conditions were light in the midwest, so they were unable to sail many races. Our team finished 2nd overall, and the team of Ayers and LaCerda-Jones finished first in the A Division! We are excited to watch these sailors grow throughout the season.
fall fury
skippers
Joe Serpa ‘24
Jack Hammett ‘26
Luciana Solorzano ‘24
Brody Schwartz ‘24
Crews
Asha Baddi ‘24
Bryson DenUyl ‘24
Alex Manthous ‘24
summary
The Wolverines also had an amazing performance at Fall Fury, hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison. No races were sailed on Saturday due to a lack of wind, so all racing was completed on Sunday. After six races in each fleet, the team finished 4th! There were some great teams at this regatta, so we are excited to see how this group competes throughout the season.
Regatta Report: Lake Erie Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta
The Wolverines competed at the Lake Erie Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta in Toledo September 9-10.
SAILORS
Zach Beyer ‘25
Bryson DenUyl ‘24
Piper Fraker ‘26
River Servia ‘27
Silas Lorenz ‘27
Ted Sherman ‘27
summary
The Wolverines had an awesome weekend at the Lake Erie Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta. There was a combination of good tactics and seamless crew work that allowed the team to place well. The conditions were light and shifty, which worked well with our team’s experience sailing on Baseline Lake. The PHRF A boats were better suited for the conditions which allowed them to take the lead in the overall standings, but our team placed 1st in their class!
Open Fleet Race Nationals 2023
On May 30-31, the Wolverines competed at the Open Fleet Race National Championship Western Semifinal hosted by the US Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, NY. See all scores here.
sailors
A Fleet
Joe Serpa '24/Asha Baddi '24
B Fleet
Luci Solorzano '24/Abigail Paul '25
Brody Schwartz '24/Lily Allen '23
Reserve
Alden Gort '26
Adrian Stone '24
summary
The Open Fleet Race National Championship hosted by the US Merchant Marine Academy marked the final regatta for the Wolverines this season. The team qualified for this regatta after placing second in the MCSA Open Fleet Race Championship in April.
Day one started with a strong breeze of ten knots gusting to fifteen. Steady long oscillations and varying current across the race course made for some dynamic racing. The team started the heavy crews for the morning to get a feel for the conditions. The water was choppier than what we typically see on Baseline Lake, and team was in FJs for the day. The teams were able to complete 8 races throughout the day, and sailed until sunset.
Day two started with a slightly lighter breeze of seven knots gusting to thirteen. The team was sailing in 420s for the day, and they got to put their practice on our new 420s into play! The teams sailed all day long, starting the last race at 4:57 with a cutoff time of 5pm. Some highlights from the day include: Lily Allen sailed her last race of college, Brody and Lily finished seventh in a race, and Joe and Asha finished fifth in a race. We are so proud of our team and all of their hard work! Go Blue!
Women's Team Race Nationals 2023
The weekend of April 29-30, the Wolverines competed at the Women’s Team Race National Championship hosted by Stanford. See all scores here.
SAILORS
Luciana Solorzano ‘24/Abigail Paul ‘25
Caroline Grin ‘25/Asha Baddi ‘24
Kate Simcoe ‘26/Abby Baker ‘25/Lexi Sessions ‘26
summary
The Women’s Team Race National Championship hosted by Stanford marked the first of our two National regattas this season. The team qualified for this regatta after winning the MCSA Women’s Team Race Championship at the end of March. Saturday began with a postponement to allow for the wind to fill in, and then racing began at 11am, kicking off the round of 12. Once on the water, races were started in fast fashion. Throughout the day, each team had the opportunity to face each of the other 11 teams. Racing continued until 6pm, which marked the completion of the round of 12. At the end of the round, the Wolverines finished in 12th place. Getting to sail against the best women’s teams in college sailing was a wonderful learning experience for our sailors, and they had great fun. Sophomore crew Abby Baker says, “This was the most fun regatta I sailed all season! Just getting to be out there competing against the best women in the sport, it’s really a dream come true!”
On Sunday, the team traveled up to Marin County, spending the day exploring the wonderful sights around the bay. They visited the San Fransisco Bay Yacht Club to attend Opening Day on the Bay, and even got to go for a sail! It was a wonderful way to end our trip, and we are so grateful for the opportunity to have competed with the best women’s teams in the country! Go Blue!
B1G Team Race
The weekend of April 22-23, the Wolverines competed at the B1G Team Race hosted at home by the University of Michigan. See all scores here.
sailors
Skippers
Luci Solorzano ‘24
Kate Simcoe ‘26
Jack Hammett ‘26
Adrian Stone ‘24
Crews
Abby Baker ‘25
Anna Howell ‘26
Alden Gort ‘26
Kyle Brown ‘26
Bryson DenUyl ‘24
summary
B1G Team Race marked our second home regatta of the season, and the last regatta before nationals! Three of our sailors — Luci, Kate, and Abby — spent this regatta practicing for Women’s Team Race Nationals. Throughout the weekend, we saw every weather condition imaginable — no wind, low wind, high wind, sun, clouds, rain, and even hail! The wolverines put up a good fight throughout three rounds of sailing, and finished the weekend in 2nd place! We are so proud of all of our sailors, and hope those not attending nationals enjoyed their last regatta of the spring season!
MCSA Open Team and Fleet Race Championships
The weekend of April 14-16, the Wolverines competed at the MCSA Open Team and Fleet Race Championships hosted by the University of Wisconsin. See all scores here.
Sailors
Team Race
Joe Serpa ‘24, Asha Baddi ‘24
Brody Schwartz ‘24, Lily Allen ‘23
Christi Scheibner ‘23, Abigail Paul ‘25
Alternates: Alex Manthous ‘24, Adrian Stone ‘24
Fleet Race
A Fleet
Joe Serpa ‘24, Asha Baddi ‘24
B Fleet
Brody Schwartz’ 24, Lily Allen ‘23, Alden Gort ‘26
Christi Scheibner ‘23, Abigail Paul ‘25
Alternates
Alex Manthous ‘24
Adrian Stone ‘24
Summary
Team race
The team spent all of Friday racing against five other teams during the Team Race portion of this regatta. Conditions started light in the morning, and built during the day while remaining shifty. After three rounds of sailing, there was a three way tie between Michigan, Purdue, and Wisconsin. We moved into a tie-breaker round, in which the Wolverines won both of their races. However, it was determined after the fact that the extra races were not the correct way to break the tie, and it stood after the three full rounds. The Wolverines placed 3rd after the original rounds.
fleet race
The rest of the weekend was spent Fleet racing. The sailors faced a wide variety of conditions that kept everyone on their toes. Despite a breakdown that let to a two race disqualification in B Fleet, the team was able to hold onto their position and finish the regatta in 2nd place. Now we wait for May 2nd to see if the team receives an Automatic Qualification berth to ICSA Open Fleet Race Nationals!