The Hobart and William Smith sailing team will begin its quest for the program's third national championship in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Friday April 24 when it takes to the Charles River in the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association Open Fleet Western Semifinal.
 
Beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 25, racing can be watched on ESPN+. Live results throughout the regatta will be available on college sailing's Techscore website.
 
Eleven teams earned automatic bids to Open Fleet Nationals by winning their conference championship, while 25 additional teams received at-large bids. HWS received an at-large bid. The 36 qualifiers will be split into two 18-team semifinals with the top nine finishers in each semifinal advancing to the national championship regatta May 26-27 on the Charles River.
 
On Friday and Saturday, HWS will race against Boston University, Bowdoin, Brown, College of Charleston, Cornell, George Washington, North Carolina State, Northeastern, Old Dominion, Roger Williams, St. Mary's (Md.), SUNY Maritime, Tufts, Coast Guard, Penn, Wisconsin and Yale.
 
Senior Will Murray is expected to skipper HWS in A Division with crews, junior Frances Depke and first-year Robert Breslin. Sophomore Juan Carlos Lacerda Jones will serve as skipper in B Division with junior Rachel Duggen and sophomore Cooper Delbridge as crews.
 
This is HWS' 23rd appearance at the Open Fleet Nationals. HWS has finished on the podium five times, winning the national championship in 2005.