Jan. 12, 2010

STANFORD, Calif.-- Three future Stanford sailors, slated to come to campus next year, Oliver Toole (Santa Barbara, Calif.), Mateo Vargas (Treasure Island, Fla.) and Helena Scutt (Kirkland, Wash.) were each named to U.S. Sailing's 2010 Development team on Monday.

“These three athletes have worked extremely hard to get to this level,” said second-year Stanford head coach John Vandemoer. “This just shows the type of athletes that Stanford sailing is attracting. We look forward to having them next year.”

The 48-member team is made up of  the top up-and-coming high school and collegiate athletes aged 13 and over. Eight of the sailors are currently sailing in college. This group has been identified as potential  and future Olympic athletes by U.S. Sailing.

Toole, who sails for the Santa Barbara Yacht Club down on the Central Coast, will sail in the 49er skiff division for U.S. Sailing. He previously won the Laser Radial event at the 2008 Junior Olympics and the CFJ at the 2008 CFJ National Championshipes. He also placed third at the 2008 U.S. Sailing Youth Championship. He was previously a part of the U18 program.

Vargas, out of the St. Petersburg area, is part of the St. Petersburg YC and was one of 11 athletes selected in the laser radial division. Vargas, who has been sailing since the time he was four, won the 2008 U.S. National Laser Radial Championship and was a runner-up at the Pacific Coast Championship. He was also third at the National Offshore One-Design Regatta in the sonar class. She was also previously a part of the U18 program.

Scutt, out of the Seattle YC, sails in the 29er skiff, a smaller boat than the 49er. Scutt sailed in three countries during the summer of 2009, sailing at the World and North American Championships. She won the WAVES Regatta at the Royal Vancouver YC over July 4 and was 13th overall and the first youth female team at the 2009 U.S. Nationals on San Francisco Bay this past September.

Sailgroove.org inteviews with future Cardinal sailors:
Mateo Vargas