HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University sailing team, in its third year under the direction of head coach Alessandro Ambrosi, opened the 2011-12 season on Saturday and Sunday, with one of the team's newcomers shining early.

Freshman Giuditta Di Laghi (Albenga, Italy) finished second overall in the women's race at the Laser South Radial Open hosted by the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis Md., scoring 32 points. She won three of her races, while finishing second and third once each.

In eight total races, Di Laghi's worst finish was 11th.

Mary Hall of Navy won the women's race with 28 points.

On the men's side, senior Andy Shoemaker (Cincinnati, Ohio) finished 13th with 114 points. His best finish on the weekend was a second-place effort, and he finished fourth in another race. Chris Barnard of Georgetown won the men's race with 10 points, winning all but one of his races.

The top 10 finishers advance to the MAISA Single-handed Championships, which will be held Sept. 24-25 at the U.S. Naval Academy.

The Pirates also competed in the Old Dominion Riley Open in Norfolk, Va. this past weekend, finishing 12th overall with 147 points. Virginia won the regatta by one point over Georgetown, tallying 36 points.

Hampton scored 77 points in the A Division and 70 points in the B Division.

The Pirates will be back to action this Saturday and Sunday, as the team hosts the Edward Teach Memorial at Strawberry Banks, while also traveling to Toms River, N.J. to compete in the Central Fall #1 regatta.

For more information on Hampton University sailing, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.