Setting Sail Two-time national champ Anna Tunnicliffe has her sights set on the Olympics By Bobby Parks Despite making history last November by becoming the first sailor ever to win back-to-back Intercollegiate Sailing Association Women’s Singlehanded National Championships, Old Dominion junior Anna Tunnicliffe (Perrysburg, Ohio) has even higher aspirations that could potentially land her on the U.S. National Sailing Team. Mix that with a desire to compete in the America’s Cup, and it’s obvious that she is just getting started in her sailing career. “It’s pretty exciting,” Tunnicliffe said about her repeat title at the 16-person ICSA championships, which she won by nearly 30 points. “All the hard work paid off. I started the regatta solid and kept my races very conservative. That helped me to stay consistent.” Tunnicliffe’s collegiate sailing record has been nothing short of remarkable. During her freshman year, she was part of the B division that captured the ICSA Women’s National Champion-ship, and with her two singlehanded wins she has been a part of three of the ODU sailing program’s 14 national titles. In addition to the spring sailing season, Tunnicliffe is setting her sights on the Olympics, both 2004 and 2008. She was planning to compete in the Olympic Team Trials in February 2004. “My goal is to make the national team this year and stay on it after I graduate.” Another possibility in Tunnicliffe’s future is the America’s Cup competition. A strong field of challengers is already forming to vie for the next races in 2007. An accounting and decision sciences major, Tunnicliffe began racing at a young age. Sailing, however, was just one of several sports at which she excelled. In high school, she was a member of the track team, where she set the 800-meter school record (2:17.58), and made the All-District teams in cross country and swimming. It was collegiate sailing, however, despite the fact it’s not an NCAA sport and offers no scholarships, that won out in the end for this all-around athlete. “I had a dream of winning an Olympic Gold in sailing,” she confessed. Old Dominion boasts one of the top sailing programs in the nation, and Tunnicliffe found out about the university by checking the national rankings in Sailing World magazine. “I chose ODU because it was a good sailing school, it has a good business school and it’s in a competitive sailing district, but it’s not as expensive as the Northeast schools,” she said. Part of the draw also was coach Mitch Brindley. “Mitch is the coolest,” Tunnicliffe says. “You can talk to him about anything. He’s the best coach I’ve ever had and he really knows how to make the team successful.” A finalist for the Quantum Award last season, Tunnicliffe currently holds a commanding advantage in the running for this year’s prize, which goes to college sailing’s top female sailor. Former Monarch standout Corrie Clement won the honor last season, the first year it was awarded. Tunnicliffe, however, prefers to pay closer attention to the national sailing rankings, which recently had the women’s team ranked fourth. While sailing demands much of her time, which includes lifting weights, running and practicing during the off-season, Tunnicliffe manages to pursue other interests at the university, such as playing cello in the school orchestra. As for academics, she’s on the dean’s list every semester. Her goal, she said, is to become a chief financial officer in the corporate world.