ALUMNI TAILGATE
On Saturday, November 16th, the Wisco Sailing Team hosted our annual Alumni Tailgate, bringing together around 30 past sailors at one of our cherished sailing residences. The event was a wonderful opportunity for past and present sailors to reconnect, reminisce, and cheer on the Badgers as they faced the Oregon Ducks at Camp Randall.
We were lucky to enjoy a beautiful early evening filled with lots of socializing and delicious food, grilled by the team grill master & birthday boy, Jack Schweda! While the football team didn’t quite secure the win, the true victory was the time spent celebrating our shared love for Wisco Sailing and the friendships that make our team so special.
This fantastic gathering wouldn’t have been possible without the efforts of our Alumni Liaison, Ryan Tatelbaum ('25), and our Fundraising Chair, Jackie Ruggieri ('27). Big thanks to both for their dedication and hard work in making this event a success! We’re already looking forward to seeing everyone again next year!
NOVEMBER REGATTA RECAPS
FALL CHAMPS @ MACATAWA BAY YACHT CLUB
On the weekend of November 2nd and 3rd, Jackie Ruggieri (‘27), Nigel Yu (‘27), Thomas Erickson (‘24), Caitlin Costello (‘28), and Phoebe Milhollin (‘28) traveled in a fleet van to Macatawa Bay to represent The Badgers at the MCSA fall championship hosted by Hope college. The first day began with an early morning postponement and a light 3-5 knots of wind, and ended with 4 races for A fleet and 3 races for B fleet. On the second day, the wind picked up to around 20 knots and the regatta concluded with 10 races total. The Badgers finished 6th in A fleet and 7th in B fleet, which totaled to 7th overall out of 14 competing teams. On the second day we were protested, but were able to defend ourselves well which resulted in us winning the hearing. The team stayed in an airbnb and enjoyed Panera, Chipotle, and a local pizza spot. Overall, this was a fun regatta and a great opportunity for the team. A big thank you to Hope college for hosting the MCSA fall championships! Go go Wisco!
KENNEDY CUP @ NAVY
On the weekend of November 2nd-3rd, the Wisco Keelboat Team travelled to Annapolis, MD to compete in the Kennedy Cup hosted by the U.S. Naval Academy. The roster included Seamus Hendrickson ('25), Dylan Gorman ('25), Cal Lutton ('26), Finn Tait ('25), Marley Barrett ('27), Ryan Tatelbaum ('25), Adam Pickhardt ('27), and Carter Harms ('27). Beginning with a practice day on Friday, the team worked out some kinks by practicing tacks and spinnaker work. The wind was up all day Friday, which allowed the team to get a feel for the boat in heavy air. Friday also helped the new keelboat team members figure out the dip pole. The base wind on Saturday was around 12-14 kts, with major shifts as the day went on. Five races were completed, with Wisconsin ending the day in 8th place overall with a strong 4th place finish in race 5. Sunday had similarly strong wind out of the same directon at the start of the first race, eventually coming down to about 5-6 kts by the end of the day. With two days of sailing behind them, the team felt much more confident in their maneuvers and starts which allowed them to be much more tactical and maintain their position on the leaderboard, placing 8th overall for the weekend. The team gained lots of great experience on the Navy 44s that weekend, and felt like everyone had improved as the regatta went on. The team would like to thank our coaches, Buttons Padin and Doug Wake, as well as our host Whitney Kent for her hospitality. In addition, we would like to thank the Gorman family, as well as the U.S. Naval Academy for putting on such a fun and challenging regatta. The team is looking forward to sailing together again in the spring and further developing their skills for next year. Go Go Wisco!
PARENTS' WEEKEND
Every year the Wisconsin Sailing Team puts on an event to gather all parents, siblings, and friends of our members called Parents' Weekend. This year we hosted one of our largest parent weekends to date with nearly 100 people in attendance! This year we elected to have our traditional Friday dinner at Paul's Pelmeni, a classic late-night food and bar spot and a team favorite location. Paul's serves a simple menu of pelmeni and nothing else, you can choose from potato, beef, or both fillings with an assortment of toppings. We had the entire back room of the restaurant reserved for us and by the end of the night it was quite busy, Pack Paul's! After dinner we embarked on a large group bar crawl to our favorite State Street spots.
On Saturday, the badgers were taking on the Penn State Nittany Lions, and to prepare for this Big 10 showdown, we hosted a tailgate at the Box, one of our cherished sailing houses. The tailgate had all the fixings: hotdogs off the grill, chips and dip, a special spotted cow keg, DJ Nigel on the turn tables, and great company. Madison was bumping all afternoon, and it was so much fun to show our parents how we do it in Madtown. The game was close, the best you can ask for this year, and as the stadium lights turned off parents' weekend came to a close. It was an absolute blast, and we can't wait to see all of our awesome parents again next year!
Thank you to our social chairs Seamus Hendrickson ('26), Quinn Kaiser ('26), and all of the other team members who put in time and effort for this event to take place!
SAILOR OF THE MONTH
Dylan Gorman
Our sailor of the month is Dylan Gorman! Dylan is a senior crew from Memphis, Tennessee and is a civil engineering student graduating in spring of 2026!
Dylan grew up in Tennessee and had an untraditional introduction into sailing. Her dad is a lifelong sailor so she had opportunities sailing in the lighting class as well as the J70 southern circuit. Shortly before college, she began sailing M15s but most of her dinghy experience came in college.
Dylan began sailing with the keelboat team during her sophomore year with the women’s team at GLIOR. One of her most memorable and special experiences was sailing with the Women’s Team on Tango, which will always hold a special place in her heart. That same year, she was rostered to sail at the Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta where they took first place in their fleet and first place overall. She considers this her proudest college sailing moment and is grateful for the life-long friendships and memories these regattas brought with them.
Since the spring of her sophomore year, Dylan has served as the keelboat captain. With significant support from former captain Nicole Guiliani, she guided the team through an impressive year, highlighted by a second-place finish at the Kennedy Cup Nationals. However, many of Dylan’s proudest achievements in the role have come this fall. She elevated the keelboat team to new heights by organizing two rigorous practices each week, coordinating team travel for regattas, and more. Following outstanding performances at both GLIOR and IOR, the team once again secured its place at keelboat nationals. In a particularly impactful move, Dylan spearheaded a fundraising effort that ensured all team members were fully supported at the regatta, covering costs so no one had to pay out of pocket. Dylan extends her gratitude to everyone who helped make these accomplishments possible.
Although Dylan is in her senior year, she has decided to take a Co-Op and extend her time for an additional year. While she’s disappointed to no longer have fall eligibility, she’s excited to use this extra time to mentor new team members and help the future keelboat captain grow into their role. As graduation approaches, Dylan looks forward to embarking on a new adventure in her career. While she hasn’t yet decided where she’ll live, she is certain about her passion for working in construction project management and is eager to dive into the field.
Dylan will be stepping down as keelboat captain after this year, and while the decision is bittersweet, she feels it’s the right time for new leadership. She’s eager to finish the year strong, participating in exciting big-boat regattas like SCOR and J70s. Additionally, she looks forward to returning to dinghies and aiming for another Nationals appearance in May!
Go Go Dylan!
ENDOWMENT
Our Endowment fund is now LIVE on our website. As a club-run team, we have to organize much of the funds ourselves, and with your help, we aim to ensure the success of the Wisconsin Sailing Team for years to come. Linked below is the donation link!