Annapolis, MD – The top women's match race teams in the country competed at the United States Women's Match Racing Championship (USWMRC) on August 18-20 held at Annapolis Yacht Club.

The USWMRC is held annually and features some of the best sailors in the country. Teams are comprised of mostly college sailing alumni, with a few collegiate and junior sailors competing as well. After winning the title in 2022, USCGA sailing coach Ali Blumenthal and her team entered this year's event as favorites.

Coach Blumenthal's team, Team BAAM, made up of skipper Allie Blecher, main trimmer Beka Schiff, headsail trimmer Katja Sertl, with Blumenthal on the bow, started the regatta slowly. Day one's conditions were extreme, with heavy chop and winds gusting to 28 knots. Team BAAM managed a 4-3 score line in day one's round robin, notching 4th place for the day and a spot in the quarterfinals.

Team BAAM settled into day two of racing, with significant change in conditions to light and shifty winds and choppy sea-state, making for classic Annapolis sailing. Blumenthal and team dominated their quarterfinal going 3-0 and sending them into the semi-finals starting that afternoon. In the semi-finals, Team BAAM raced skipper Hailey Thompson and her crew made up of multi-time USWMRC champion Nicole Breault, Olympian Molly Vandemoer and Blake Oberbauer.

The semi's took place over Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, which saw similar conditions to Saturday with light wind and choppy seas. Team BAAM traded wins initially with their opponents, eventually winning out the semi-finals with a 3-1 record. On the opposite side of the bracket, skippers Bridget Groble and Janel Zarkowsky (Georgetown Sailing Team's Assistant Coach) had three tight races that ultimately saw Groble winning 3-0. Finals were set and racing began shortly after a wind-delay.

Blumenthal and team entered the finals confident and fast, once again the boat to beat. Groble did not back down and had two near-perfect starts, leading both finals races immediately after the starting gun. Team BAAM was too fast and too strong and came back to win both finals races. After another wind-delay, no further races were held due to time-constraints, Blumenthal and team captured the USWMRC title, making them back-to-back National Champions. This is also Blumenthal's and Team BAAM's third National Championship since 2019.