ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. — The Rainbow Wahine sailors' spirited comeback fell just short, concluding their season with an 11th-place finish in the semifinals of the ICSA Women's Fleet Race National Championship in, May 20-21, in St. Mary's City, Md. 

After a shortened first day of sailing due to bad weather, UH entered day two in 16th place. Despite a strong finish, UH did not reach the top nine to advance to the finals, ultimately finishing with a total of 199 points, just one point ahead of host St. Mary's College. Back-to-back defending champion Stanford took first place in the semifinal round, scoring a division-low 69 points. 

Thanks to improved weather conditions on day two, the sailors were able to finish the semifinal round with 18 total races, split evenly between the A and B divisions. Vivian Bønsager and Stella Taherian represented the A division for Hawai`i, while Sophia Shaeffer, Malia Johnson, Martha Schuessler, and Morgan Carew sailed in the B division. 

Despite the slow start to the regatta, the 'Bows ended the competition in great form, finishing top five in three of their last six races.

The duo of Bønsager and Taherian scored 80 points, good for 9th place in the A division. Placing in the top ten in five of their nine races, the two sailors finished the competition with a first-place finish, leaving an exclamation point at the end of Bønsager's collegiate sailing career.

The rotating group of Shaeffer, Johnson, Schuessler, and Carew, amassed 119 points to place 14th in the B division. The B squad contributed two top-ten finishes in their nine races over both days.

Although UH's season came to an end in its semifinal elimination, the Rainbow Wahine extended their nationals appearance streak to four in a row, and 22nd appearance overall.

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