A pair of impressive individual results on the final day have pushed Bay of Plenty up the ladder at the National Scholastic Surfing Championships at Manu Bay, Raglan.
Georgia Wederell and fellow Bay of Plenty surfer Luke Griffin placed third in their respective Under-18 divisions at the event, moving Bay of Plenty up to fifth on the overall rankings.
Meanwhile, Waikato claimed their first National Scholastic Surfing Championships title in 11 years as the team won two of seven titles and boasted six surfers in the finals.
The five-day event wrapped up in the biggest surf of the week on Friday with a solid 1.5m swell and light onshore winds, the morning rain giving way to clear skies in the afternoon.
Waikato took the points lead early on the final day after a battle with Taranaki and Auckland, who finished in second and third respectively. Waikato eventually surged ahead with close to a 1000-point lead. The points difference between second through sixth was just 300 points, the equivalent of one placing in any of the finals.
Taranaki and Canterbury claimed two titles apiece and the two regions shared the coveted Under 18 division titles which went to Tom Butland (Tara) and Estella Hungerford (Chch).
National Scholastic Surfing Championship Results
Team Points:
1st Waikato, 8463
2nd Taranaki, 7485
3rd Auckland, 7305
4th Canterbury, 7265
5th Bay of Plenty, 7233
6th Northland, 7213
7th Gisborne, 6289
8th West Coast, 5133
9th Coromandel, 4959
10th Wellington, 4503
11th Hawkes Bay, 4025
Under-18 Boys' Division Final:
Tom Butland (Tara), 16.4, 1, Caleb Cutmore (Ham), 16.0, 2, Luke Griffin (Mnt), 11.7, 3, Neko Tohiariki (Chch)11.5, 4.
Under-16 Boys' Division Final:
Kora Cooper (Rag), 13.75, 1, Tom Robinson (Whngrei), 11.95, 2, Myka Black (Chch), 9.95, 3, Finn Vette (Gis), 9.55, 4.
Under-14 Boys' Division Final:
Navryn Malone (Rag), 13.9, 1, Ryder Pennington (Tara), 13, 2, Kalani Louis (Tara), 9.25, 3, Izaak Hayes (Whngrei), 9.15, 4.
Under-18 Girls' Division Final:
Estella Hungerford (Chch), 16.0, 1, Kai Woolf (Rag), 10.4, 2, Georgia Wederell (Mnt), 8.4, 3, Gabrielle Paul (Auck), 6.75, 4.
Under-16 Girls' Division Final:
Natasha Gouldsbury (Tara), 11.25, 1, Brie Bennett (Rag), 10.25, 2, Ariana Shewry (Tara), 7.5, 3, Leah Wilson (Chch), 6.3, 4.
Under-14 Girls' Division Final:
Ava Henderson (Chch), 12.75, 1, Anna Brock (Mnt), 8.5, 2, Amelie Brady (Mnt), 4.4, 3, Luka Glover (Rag), 0.04, 4.
Under-18 Longboard Division Final:
Ben Counsell (Auck), 13.1, 1, Billy Whelan (Nthlnd), 10.65, 2, Nat Fitt (Auck), 9.85, 3, Sonny Eades (BOP), 6.3, 4.