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).
