The Cathedral Catholic sailing team acted as a dark horse this past weekend after finishing second in the Anteater regatta, surpassing all expectations.

The Anteater regatta, commonly referred to as Anteater, is one of five intersectional regattas that determine a winner of the Pacific Coast Championship for Interscholastic Sailing.

The team consisted of three skippers — Kyle Gallagher ‘19, Alex Woodmansee ‘20, and Jake Titcomb ‘21 — and four crew members — Grace Lawson ‘19, Claire Backer ‘21, Michael Murphy ‘22, and Carolina Ternero ‘22.

After the departure of alumnus Ryan McConville ‘18 at the end of last season, captain Gallagher had big shoes to fill at the beginning of this season, and Anteater was his first test. McConville and alumna Megan Sainz ‘18 surprised the team by going to support, as this was the Dons first regatta without the alumni’s participation.

Their presence served as an emotional boost to the sailors’ spirits as they were all grateful of their support.

“I felt pretty good about [the results] because we definitely exceeded my expectations,” Gallagher said. “Obviously, losing Ryan was difficult, but we did a really great job this weekend. I’m excited for the rest of the season”

Gallagher felt confident this weekend, as he started the regatta off by winning the first two races, continuing to finish fourth overall.

The Dons sailing team looks forward to Rose Bowl, is next intersectional regatta, in early January and hope to bring more sailors to compete.

A decade removed since the Dons won the high school Sailing Pacific Coast Championship, the team looks to climb out of the ashes and take back the title, especially considering the past weekend’s results.