The Hobart and William Smith sailing team returns to St. Mary's City, Maryland, on Tuesday, May 27, for the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association Open Fleet Race Nationals.
 
Thirty-six teams will begin competition on the St. Mary's River in two 18-team semifinals. The top nine finishers in each semifinal advance to the championship round, which begins May 29. The 18 advancing teams will compete for the Henry A. Morss Memorial Trophy awarded to the national champion.
 
HWS, which is seeded 21st, was placed in the Eastern Semifinal. They will take on No. 5 Brown, Connecticut College, No. 16 Cornell, Eckerd, Florida State, No. 25 George Washington, No. 1 Harvard, Michigan, No. 17 MIT, No. 9 Navy, No. 24 Northeastern, No. 20 Penn, No. 4 Roger Williams, No. 13 Rhode Island, No. 12 St. Mary's Md., No. 8 Tulane and Webb Institute. Harvard is the reigning national champion.
 
HWS earned an at-large bid into this year's championship. HWS placed seventh at the America Trophy, the MAISA Fleet Race Championships. Junior Juan Carlos LaCerda Jones and sophomore Jeffrey Klempen were the skippers and seniors Rachel Duggan and Frances Depke and junior Cooper Delbridge sailed as crew.
 
Last year, HWS was 18th at the ICSA Open Fleet Race Championship in Cambridge, Massachusetts. LaCerda Jones and Klempen served as skippers last year. Duggan, Depke and Henry Breslin competed as crew at last year's regatta.
 
This is HWS' 24th appearance at the Open Fleet Race Nationals. HWS has finished on the podium five times, winning the national championship in 2005.