ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The University of Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine sailing team kept themselves firmly in the hunt following the opening day of racing at the 2026 ICSA Women's Fleet Race National Championship, concluding in 12th place in the Western National Semifinal round.

Hosted by the University of South Florida on the waters of Tampa Bay, the prestigious event features the nation's top 36 women's programs split evenly into 18-team Eastern and Western semifinal fleets. UH, which qualified through an at-large bid from the National Championship Selection Committee on April 28, found itself in the Western semifinals. The fleets completed a total of 12 races, six races across both the A and B divisions, on day one. Brown University leads the pack at the midway point.

The Rainbow Wahine now face a manageable task in making the nine-team cut to advance to the finals. UH has 116 total points, just 10 points out from the current occupier of ninth place in Northeastern which has 106 points. 

Sailing for the Rainbows' A division squad, which finished with 73 points after one day of sailing, placing 13th place in its division. All-conference skipper Martha Schuessler completed all six races with All-conference crew Amanda Turner. The B team, meanwhile, tallied 43 points, good for 8th in its division, anchoring the team's performance and keeping the Rainbows within striking distance. All-conference skipper Stella Taherian raced alongside Elin Reigstad, placing in the top four in three of their six races. Kahlia Bailey and Ann Tokoyoda made the trip as alternates.

More semifinal races are expected to be completed tomorrow, weather permitting, to finalize the field. UH is seeking its first advancement to the finals round since the 2012 season. Fans can follow Saturday's action through the ICSA Scoring website.

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