Kate Berry’s search for a part-time job led to an enduring commitment to a sport she’d never considered prior to enrolling at the University of Hawaii.

Soon after arriving on campus from Utah, Berry headed over to the UH Recreation Services department to turn in an application. There she met assistant director Andy Johnson, who doubles as the longtime head coach of the UH sailing teams.

The interview for the on-campus job ended with an invitation to join the sailing program.

"I was like, ‘I think you have the wrong person. I don’t know how to sail," Berry said.

Despite her initial confusion, Berry decided to give the sport a shot that afternoon.

Four years later, "I can’t imagine college without it now."

By the end of her sophomore season, she was on her way to the Intercollegiate Sailing Association national championships. Now a senior co-captain, she’ll close her career with her third appearance in the women’s and coed events over the next two weeks.

"She picked it up incredibly fast," said Johnson, who has offered similar invitations to those who fit the profile though they lacked in boating experience.

"Whether they stick it out long enough to be useful on our team is up to them," he said. "She did and she really found something she enjoyed."

The Rainbow Wahine open the four-day ICSA Sperry Women’s Nationals on Monday in the waters off of Newport Harbor and Narragansett Bay in Newport, R.I. UH will also compete in the Gill Coed Nationals starting June 1.

In both events, the 28-team field is split into two semifinal regattas. The top nine in each advance to the finals held over two days.

"It’s like the sailing capitol of the world," said Giacomo Paoletti, a senior co-captain on the coed team. "It’s very historic waters."

Despite her relatively late start, Berry entered the year among the most seasoned members of a women’s team that lost two key seniors in 2014. The Wahine progressed over the fall and into the spring and qualified for the national championships with a fourth-place finish at the Pacific Coast Collegiate Sailing Conference championships, edging USC for the final spot.

"I knew it was going to be a fight even qualifying for nationals," Berry said. "But I think our women’s team has qualified for nationals 14 or 15 years (in a row). So I was like, ‘No we have to do it.’ We can’t be that year. We can’t drop the ball. So I was really excited we were able to pull through and still qualify."

Berry, who graduated with a degree in Marine Biology this month, sailed with freshman Caitlin Schadt and senior Madeline Anzivino in the B Division. Senior Louise Currie, junior Cole Brauer and sophomore Elizabeth Boystak sailed in the A Division.

"The women’s team’s been building, getting better and better … and they had their best regatta when it counted," Johnson said.

The coed team also finished fourth at the PCCSC championship after winning the St. Francis Collegiate Invitational in San Francisco in early April.

While Berry learned the duties of a crew when she joined the program, experience is critical for a skipper steering the boats around the course. Paoletti grew up sailing off of Monterey, Calif., ingraining a feel for the wind and water.

He helped get less experienced crew members up to speed early in his UH career, but knew he could trust Berry once they were partnered this season.

"She learned throughout her four years and now she’s one of the best crews on our team," Paoletti said. "It was really nice once I got the boat with her because I didn’t have to teach her much. … It was good to just jump in and know what she expects and what I expect."

As for the national regattas, Paoletti expects a bit more current than the UH teams typically see in practices at Keehi Lagoon and colder waters.

Schadt, a freshman, has more familiarity than her teammates with those currents coming from Brewster, Mass. The UH teams will use boats from her high school to practice before the nationals.

"I kept telling her she has to win her ride home," Johnson said.