Surf Team National Champs
The SDSU Surf Team was first overall in the National Interscholastic Surfing Championships.
Winning a state championship is not an easy thing to do. Winning a state championship title five years in a row is even harder.
The San Diego State University surf team accomplished these feats, and brought home the gold at the 36th annual National Interscholastic Surfing Championships.
The competition, held at Salt Creek Beach in Dana Point, Calif., hosted 43 teams and more than 370 surfers. There were titles in both team and individual categories which include male, female and longboard divisions.
The SDSU team, headed by Brandon Carney, entered the championships ranked first after their victory at the 2013 state championships. The team is split into two groups — Red and Black. SDSU's Black team finished first with 139 points. The University of California, San Diego followed with 99 points. SDSU's Red team ranked 14th overall with 27 points.
"Everyone did really well," Carney said. "If you get through the third round, you're doing a great job. Most of our surfers made it past the third round, so we knew we were going to rank pretty high."
Aztec rankings
College Mens
No. 4 Doug van Mierlo
No. 6 Colin Weinberg
College Womens
No. 2 Marissa Shaw
Longboard
No. 1 Ty Roach
No. 4 Johnny Fay
Competition highlights
Besides taking home the trophy, exceptional weather and friendly competition provided for an excellent weekend, Carney said.
"A lot of people grew up participating in the National Scholastic Surfing Association in middle and high school, so it's like a community," he continued. "And once you've surfed a couple of heats with people, you start talking and everyone is really friendly."
An exceptional bunch
SDSU's surf team doesn't just excel in the ocean — all members are involved in other clubs and orginzations on campus.
Carney, a senior marketing major, is a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, the American Marketing Association and vice president of the Associated Business Student Council.
Marissa Shaw, vice president of the team, is currently pursuing a nursing degree. She is also a member of the SDSU women's crew team, a group fitness instructor at the Aztec Recreation Center and a member of SDSU's California Nursing Student Association.
Other members are involved in a multitude of clubs, organizations and academic honors societies.
Moving forward
Despite a successful winning streak, Carney understands the expectations have been set high.
"A lot of seniors graduated, so we lost some really good surfers," Carney said. "Also, the pressure is on for us to repeat a national championship. But we've got a great team, so I'm confident."
The surf team is a club team supported by Associated Students.
