University of Wisconsin sailing team member Matt Schmidt left the chilly waters on Lake Mendota for someplace warmer last week.

The UW junior competed in the Intercollegiate Sailing Assocation Singlehanded Nationals event in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he placed 15th out of the 16 competitors.

And Schmidt said he was happy for the opportunity to compete in the two days of ocean sailing.

"It was the top 16 guys in the country and a lot of them are varsity sailors," he said. "It's nice just to be able to get to that level and to compete with them and even beat the top guys."

Schmidt said his races were both good and bad, but embraced the opportunity to compete with the best sailors in the nation.

"At the end of the day, it is nice to sit back and appreciate the big picture and what we've done, being a small school in the sailing world," he said.

Team co-captain and UW junior Liz Prange said Schmidt's leadership has made him a standout member of the team.

"He has been very instrumental," she said. "He definitely deserved [to go to Hawaii]."

Prange said despite finishing second-to-last, Schmidt's performance proved he is among the most elite sailors in the nation.

"Those 16 sailors there were the best in the nation," she said. That's very tough [and there's] a lot of tough competition. He did a nice job."

While wind, rain and even snow were featured last week here in Madison, Schmidt said the experience in Hawaii wasn't a large adjustment for him. The days he sailed were comparable to Madison, minus the 75-degree weather and the mountainous landscape of Hawaii, he said jovially.

"Yes, Hawaii was a different place," he said, but added, "You take the things that you learn from sailing at home and it all comes into place, you're still sailing the same wind and water."

Most of Schmidt's opponents at nationals were at somewhat of an advantage, receiving coaching and funding from schools where sailing is a university-funded sport. UW sailing is part of the Memorial Union Hoofers outdoor program and is a sponsored club.

"[Some of the opponents] get coaching and funding, but we're a small team, and we're student-run," he added. "We don't have a coach or funding and we pay our own way everywhere."

Schmidt said though the lack of funding may be hindering, the club offers some independence by having the students organize and run it. The team helps each other out with regattas around the country and are "really supportive," he said.

As a son of avid sailors, Schmidt said he was brought up into a sailing family and first sailed when he was six years old. Here at UW, Schmidt is currently the team's practice captain and organizes most of the team's drills for weekend events.

"This year, there are a lot of freshmen, some that have sailed before and some that haven't," he said. "It's nice to be able to help everyone on the team."

A mechanical engineering major, Schmidt said he plans to keep sailing as a summer hobby after he graduates.

"It'll always be part of my life, especially because I'm close with my extended family," he said.