Ten of the most accomplished female match racing teams in the US will take to the water this weekend at Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club for the annual U.S. Women’s Match Racing Championship. Attendees include former event winners, collegiate All-Americans, and accomplished match race teams vying for the Allegra Knapp Mertz Trophy.
This year, the three-day event has been chosen as a qualifier for the 2022 Women’s Match Racing World Championship in Auckland, New Zealand. The top placing skipper will be invited to compete in the 2022 World Championship.
Teams to watch out for include Nicole Breault and her team from St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco, CA. Breault is a four-time U.S. Women’s Match Racing Champion, including most recently in 2021 and is a well-known face on the international match racing scene.
Also looking for a repeat win is Allie Blecher and her team from California Yacht Club. Blecher won her first, and so far only, U.S. Women’s Match Racing title in 2019. Narrowly missing the finals at last year’s event, she will face several familiar competitors this year.
2021 runner-up Janel Zarkowsky and her team from across the US aim to best last year’s performance, where she went head-to-head with Nicole Breault in the finals, missing out 3-1. Zarkowsky has an accomplished record on the women’s match racing circuit, having been a member of the winning team at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Match Racing Championship.
Bridget Groble and the Bow Down racing team are on the roster in search of their first US Women’s Match Racing Championship title. Groble won the petit finals at last year’s event, taking third overall, and has been an active force in US match racing.
First held in 1974, the U.S. Women’s Open Championship was rededicated as the U.S. Women’s Match Race Championship in 2000. Since then, winners have included Olympic gold medalists, Rolex Yachtswomen of the Year, and current Olympians. US Sailing would like to thank national sponsors Gill Marine and Regatta Craft Mixers, along with local sponsor Tuck Gin for their support of the event.
