HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University sailing team qualified for the 2014 America Trophy this past Saturday and Sunday by virtue of a fourth-place finish in the South Spring Qualifier at Strawberry Banks.
 
The top five teams all qualified for the regatta, which serves as the MAISA Co-Ed Championships. It will be held April 26-27 in Great Neck, N.Y. and hosted by the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.
 
This will mark Hampton's second straight year in the event.
 
The Pirates finished with 104 points overall, tallying 62 points in the A Division and 42 points in the B Division. Veronica Maccari and Joshua Gopeesingh sailed in the A Division, leading Hampton to a fifth-place ranking in that division, winning one race and recording seven top-five finishes.
 
Giuditta Di Laghi and Albert Berk Toledo helped the Pirates finish third in the B Division, winning one race and finishing in the top three in five of the 11 races.
 
Virginia won the regatta with 65 points, beating second-place Washington College by four.
 
George Washington (third) and Christopher Newport (fifth) were the other schools to qualify for the America Trophy.
 
The MAISA Women's Championship will be held this Saturday and Sunday in Ithaca, N.Y. 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.