Point Loma Nazarene University’s Surf Team anticipates a strong season after taking first place in their opener at Black’s Beach last month.
The annual season opener, hosted by the University of California, San Diego’s Surf Team, took place from Oct. 25-26 and marked an exciting start to the year for the team. They competed against 31 collegiate teams and scored a total of 211 points, 63 points higher than any other team.
Sydney Ott, a third-year marketing major and returning team member, said it felt great to start the season with a win, especially after the team’s ninth national championship title win in June.
“Everyone was surfing super well, so it was awesome seeing us win as a team,” Ott said.
Leading up to the opener, the team held group practices at Mission Beach to prepare and get into the competition mindset.
“For me personally, I made sure to surf consistently leading up to the event and made sure that I had my board dialed in,” Ott said.
This preparation proved to be valuable once the contest began, as competitors were met with difficult conditions throughout the weekend.
“The conditions were pretty tough all weekend, and the waves were big,” Ott said. “Black’s is a heavy beach break, and when there is swell, it can definitely be a little overwhelming.”
Ott advanced to the women’s final, finishing third in shortboard. Three PLNU women made it to the semifinals, including first-year Sofia Todd, who reached the semifinals in her first collegiate contest.
On the men’s side, fourth-year Tucker Coleman finished second overall in longboard, while Hudson Saunders placed second and David O’Keefe third in shortboard.
“I’m feeling good going into the rest of the season,” Ott said. “As a team, we are trying to stay consistent with our results, and are definitely looking to take a few more wins.”
Micah Abadie, a fourth-year applied health science major and returning team member, said it’s encouraging to start the year with a win.
“There are always a bit of nerves going into each contest, but mostly excitement,” Abadie said. “We have a bunch of different competitions at different spots that we have done well at in the past, so we’re comfortable going into these events. We have such depth in our team, so any type of wave, we have a handful of surfers who excel.”
Abadie said the swell, a buildup of large, powerful waves generated by distant storms, made things interesting.
“We had the first swell of the season hit that weekend, so there was plenty of size and energy in the water, ” he said. “But overall, the team performed well in the conditions.”
The team ensured to get plenty of time in the water throughout the year, staying prepared for competitions.
“Luckily, at our school, we live around amazing waves, so we are able to get a lot of time in the water,” Abadie said. “We held practices to get everyone into the competitive mindset, but also surf every day and get as much time in the water as possible.”
Elle Emery, a fourth-year marketing major, said she enjoyed watching her team compete and getting to spend the day with her teammates.
“I feel like I’m just trying to soak in my last year here at Loma and cherish it before I graduate,” Emery said. “The surf team has been a blast, so I’m really excited for the rest of the season and to just keep having fun with it.”
The team competes next from Dec. 13-14 at Huntington Beach, followed by two more regular-season contests before the state and national championships next semester.
Cade Michaelson