The Hobart and William Smith sailing team begins its 2025-26 season this weekend, Sept. 6-7, when it heads to Kings Point, New York, for three regattas. HWS will race in the KP Open Dinghy and the Laser North and William Smith sailors will compete in the King's Point Fall Women's.
 
HWS returns 10 of the 13 sailors who competed at the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association national championships last season. In total, 34 sailors return from the 2024-25 team that finished 17th at the ICSA Fleet Race Championship and ix of the seven Heron sailors who finished 12th in the ICSA Women's Eastern Semifinal. Thirteen new faces will add to the strong veteran presence on this year's squad for Head Coach Scott Ikle '84, who is in his 32nd year guiding the program.
 
Hobart senior Juan Carlos LaCerda Jones and junior Jeffrey Klempen highlight the returners. LaCerda Jones was named to the All-Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association Open Skippers second team last year. Senior Nico Garcia-Castrillon has competed at the Carl Van Duyne MAISA Men's Singlehanded Championship in each of his first three seasons after finishing in the top five at the Laser North three times.
 
On the William Smith side, senior Laura Therien, juniors Ella Donaldson and Maya Mahoney, and sophomores Deana Fedulova, Sabrina Starck and Olivia Wilkins all competed at the ICSA Women's Eastern Semifinals last spring.
 
Last year, HWS had four sailors finish in the top 10 at the Laser North. Garcia-Castrillon led the way, placing fourth. HWS won the KP Open Invite by 19 points. Klempen and Rachel Duggan '25 had 40 points on the weekend.