Carissa Moore (HAW) and Griffin Colapinto (USA) won the Surf Ranch Pro in front of a live audience of surf fans in Lemoore, Calif. After their big wins today, Moore and Colapinto have taken the rankings leads. Caroline Marks (USA) and Italo Ferreira (BRA) earned runner-up finishes after putting on outstanding performances.

Five-time World Champion Carissa Moore (HAW) claimed her second Surf Ranch Pro win and third CT event win of the season. Moore has had an exceptional year, and will now be back in the yellow Leader jersey going into the Surf City El Salvador Pro.

As the No. 1 surfer on the rankings, she is now well on her way to qualifying for the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris and securing a place in the WSL Final 5. 

“You can’t wipe the smile off my face right now and to be sharing the podium with these amazing humans is an honor,” said Moore. “I think all of us as athletes just want to perform to the best of our potential and I definitely think there was more for me to give out here. But, I felt happy and present, and that’s what matters most to me. I didn’t really imagine it would go quite this good and I’m just really happy. I have a lot of family and friends here, and watching all over the world, so I really appreciate all the love. It’s a perfect wave, but it’s really difficult to ride. It took a couple surfs to figure out the timing again and get to calm the nerves, but I just felt really good.”

Moore set the standard with an excellent 8.60 (out of possible 10) on her first right of the Final to apply major pressure to one of the sport’s phenoms, Caroline Marks (USA). Moore’s 7.93 backup ride put Marks into an all-or-nothing situation for her second round of waves. Marks went to the air for her final attempt but fell on the landing. The score came up short of what she required and Moore emerged victorious once again.

Griffin Colapinto Wins First CT Event of the Season

Griffin Colapinto (USA) left everything out in the water during each heat today and reserved his best for the Final against 2019 World Champion Italo Ferreira (BRA). Ferreira and Colapinto went wave-for-wave during the Final, keeping the crowd on the edge of their seats.

Colapinto started strong, posting an excellent 8.70 and backup 7.83. Ferreira was able to take the lead after earning an 8.70 himself and backup of 8.13. Colapinto was left needing a big score and delivered just that, turning in a near-perfect 9.70.  

“It means everything to win a CT in California, especially to win here because everyone gets the same opportunity and there’s so much that goes into your physical ability,” said Colapinto. “A lot of hard work went into this. I’m feeling really good and just so psyched, all my friends and family are here so to win with them here is just insane. That Final was so crazy and it’s trippy to watch Italo’s (Ferreira) waves and hope he fell so I’m just over the moon. I had no clue I was No. 1 until you told me and it’s a crazy feeling being in the yellow jersey.” 

Colapinto’s flawless run through Finals Day had him up against some of Brazil’s best, starting with a jaw-dropping win over Surf Ranch standout Yago Dora (BRA). He then eliminated World Champion and defending event winner Filipe Toledo (BRA) in the Semifinals, one of the day’s biggest upsets. 

Caroline Marks Makes Second Finals Appearance of the Season 

Caroline Marks (USA) made her second Finals appearance of the season today at the Surf Ranch Pro. The 21-year-old looked composed and confident as she overcame big names including past event winner Lakey Peterson (USA) and Molly Picklum (AUS). This big result maintains Mark’s position within the top 5 on the rankings and she will now look to make her first WSL Final 5 appearance later this year. 

“I feel like I’ve improved going left which was a weakness so that felt nice,” said Marks. “I’ll keep pushing forward and hopefully take it out next year. I’m from Florida but live in San Clemente now, but I’ll probably give this one to my dad with him and my uncle coming out to support so big shout out to them. 

Marks started her day with a big win over CT rookie Caitlin Simmers (USA). Simmers demonstrated her new-school moves on her forehand, earning the highest score of the heat, an 8.33. But, she came up short of the score she needed on the left. Marks was able to take the heat win with an excellent 8.00 and backup 7.53. 

Italo Ferreira Thrives In Front of Audience of Surf Fans  

Italo Ferreira (BRA) thrived under the pressure of the cheering crowd today. The World Champion remained everyone why he is such a dangerous competitor, showcasing his fast-pace surfing and explosive approach to each section. 

“It was a long day and I’m so happy with my performance the last couple of days,” said Ferreira. “I came here with a lot of confidence and congratulations to Griffin (Colapinto), Caroline (Marks), and Carissa (Moore), you all put everything out there in your performance today. I’m happy to be a part of this and thank you to all the fans for the support.”

Ferreira started his Finals Day campaign with a win over current World No. 1 Joao Chianca (BRA) in the Quarterfinals. He then went on to face an in-form Ethan Ewing (AUS) in the Semifinals, who had just eliminated Gabriel Medina (BRA). Ewing immediately put the pressure on Ferreira, posting a near-perfect 9.03 on his first right of the Semifinals. Ferreira quickly answered back, using his explosive surfing to earn two back-to-back excellent rides, an 8.43 and 8.17 to take the lead. Ewing struggled to find a backup leaving Ferreira victorious.  

Upset of the Day, Ethan Ewing Overcomes Two-time Event Winner Gabriel Medina 

In one of the biggest upsets of the day, Ethan Ewing (AUS) achieved the near impossible, knocking out 3X World Champion and two-time event winner Gabriel Medina (BRA) in the Quarterfinals. Ewing utilized his signature power surfing to post an excellent 9.07 and backup 7.60 to overcome Medina. This is the first Surf Ranch Pro Medina has not made a Final. 

Surf Ranch Pro Pres. by 805 Beer Women’s Final Results:  
1 – Carissa Moore (HAW) 16.53
2 – Caroline Marks (USA)15.43

Surf Ranch Pro Pres. by 805 Beer Men’s Final Results:  
1 – Griffin Colapinto (USA) 17.77
2 – Italo Ferreira (BRA) 17.13

Surf Ranch Pro Pres. by 805 Beer Women’s Semifinal Results: 
HEAT 1: Caroline Marks (USA) 15.53 DEF. Caitlin Simmers (USA) 15.00
HEAT 2: Carissa Moore (HAW) 18.00 DEF. Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) 14.77

Surf Ranch Pro Pres. by 805 Beer Men’s Semifinal Results: 
HEAT 1: Griffin Colapinto (USA) 15.60 DEF. Filipe Toledo (BRA) 14.10
HEAT 2: Italo Ferreira (BRA) 16.60 Def. Ethan Ewing (AUS) 16.36

Surf Ranch Pro Pres. by 805 Beer Men’s Quarterfinal Results:
HEAT 1: Griffin Colapinto (USA) 14.57 DEF. Yago Dora (BRA) 9.43
HEAT 2: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 17.20 DEF. Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) 16.17
HEAT 3: Ethan Ewing (AUS) 16.67 DEF. Gabriel Medina (BRA) 16.67
HEAT 4: Italo Ferreira (BRA) 17.27 DEF. Joao Chianca (BRA) 8.33

Editor’s Note: In the wake of this event Italo Ferreira and Gabriel Medina spoke out on Instagram to take the WSL to task on their judging criteria. Since the issue is not wave pool-specific but more in line with the ongoing WSL judging issues, we’ve left it out of this report. You can read Gabriel’s comments here and Italo’s comments here.