On a day with very light winds and rains, not exactly ideal conditions for sailing, the Penn State sailing club capped off a rebuilding year in which it failed to qualify for the Mid Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association division championships by hosting their fifth annual Alumni Regatta this past Saturday.

"We lost a lot of seniors last year and that was a big thing, a lot of the seniors that were qualifying graduated so it's been hard to fill in, but we have a very, very young team," said race captain Matt Wayne.

After a tough season in which the team's highest finish was seventh at Ocean City, dozens of Penn State sailing alumni congregated upon Lake Glendale to race, honor a longtime advisor, and send away four seniors.

"We had a really great turnout, the weather wasn't that great, but everyone had a good time," former club president and senior honoree Carrie Waddle said.

Alumni came from all parts of the country to attend the event.

"We had a record number come out, at least a couple dozen alumni plus parents," club president Scott Umbell said. "This was really exciting for us. They came everywhere from California, Utah, Savannah, pretty much everywhere."

The regatta consisted of various two-man races, with first place awarded to the duo of Greg Zilia and Jeff Senita. Taking second was the team of Mike Baszynski and Mike Pulaski, and at third was the boat of Mary Kapital and Jen Azari.

"It was great, we had a really great showing and everyone got to sail," Wayne said.

However, the event was more about the team and former members coming together and the alumni sharing their past experiences with the current members.

"People came for the regatta, but it's a time for all of us to just come together and talk," Wayne said.

After the racing was over, the team capped the day with a fundraising banquet held at the Ramada Inn, State College.

The banquet raised in excess of $2,000 for the club, more than double the amount the team raised at last year's event.

"We doubled our total over the $1,000 from last year," Umbell said. "This is really important for us."

The sailors also honored Leon Sibul by renaming their training grounds The Sibul Sailing Center, after the long-time faculty adviser. Sibul has been with the club since 1974.

Former Olympic sailing pre-qualifiers Carol Park and Mary Keppel were honored for their dedication and continued support for the team.

Four seniors -- Carrie Waddle, Jeff Senita, Brian Leigh and Tammy Larzelene -- were honored for their dedication to the team at the banquet.

With a revamped fleet, more funding, and increased membership, the sailing team will hit the water in the fall looking to build upon the successes and failures of this year.