SANTA BARBARA, Calif. —  University of Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine sailor Martha Schuessler cruised to a first-place finish in the Pacific Coast Collegiate Sailing Conference (PCCSC) Women's Singlehanded Championship during this past weekend's men's and women's competitions off the coast of Southern California.

The sophomore from Connecticut  is the first Rainbow Wahine to win the event since Tinja Anderson Mitterling did it in back-to-back years  (2004 and '05) nearly two decades ago. She finished first in nine out of 10 total races —with only her last race resulting in second — to finish with a regatta-low 11 points. This victory qualifies Schuessler for the ICSA Singlehanded Championships hosted by the University of South Florida in Saint Petersburg, Nov. 9-10.

The men's side featured three Rainbow Sailors -  junior Erik Anderson and sophomores Spencer Fleming and Zach Brennan, who finished third (33 points), seventh (70 points), and eighth (71 points), respectively. The event was won dominantly by Stanford's Chapman Petersen with 11 points.

Initially scheduled as a two-day event, the PCCSC Singlehanded Championship was abridged to one day as the sailors enjoyed delightful weather and 8-12 knot winds on Saturday. Both the men and women competed in 10 races each for this event.

The coed team will next set its sights on the Stoney Burke Intersectional, held on Oct. 19-20 in Richmond, California, while the Rainbow Wahine travel to the East Coast for the Stu Nelson Invitational, Oct. 5-6, in Connecticut.