After a month of preparation, the Interscholastic Sailing Association (ISSA) National Championship will get underway for the Christian Brothers Academy sailing team this weekend in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The Colts qualified on April 9th, after finishing second at the Mid-Atlantic District Championship. The second place finish was their best finish ever at a district championship and this will be their first National Championship appearance since the program's founding in 2007.

CBA will compete against the top-20 teams from the seven districts across the country. Aside from the Mid-Atlantic's four berths, the Pacific Coast (4), New England (4), South Atlantic (3), Midwest (3), Southeast (1) and Northwest (1) make up the event's 20 spots.

"I think that we are ready for the challenge this weekend at the Nationals," coach Jason Lutz said. "Our guys have worked tirelessly over the past few years to reach this stage. We now deserve to be there just like any of the other 19 teams. I'm excited for us to have this special experience up at MIT."

The National Championship is hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at their sailing pavilion on the Charles River. The Charles River is one of the most scenic, but also one of the most difficult locations to sail, since the river is less than one mile wide in spots. Racing will take place on Saturday and Sunday.

In the A-Division, Christian Brothers will be represented by senior captain Joe LaForgia, senior captain Chris Magno, sophomore Justin Modin and freshman John Cocozza. In the B-Division, junior Michael Ehnot will sail with sophomore Ryan Mullins.