Surf Team Claims National Championship

Surf Team Claims National ChampionshipPictured (left to right): Aaron Coyle, Garrett James, Leo Welnick, Chris Smith, and Scott McBrideIn its ninth season, the Cal State San Marcos Surf Team has claimed its first National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) Collegiate National Championship. The event was held in June at Salt Creek in Dana Point, California."It is an amazing accomplishment for the CSUSM Surf Team to have taken home this championship," said the team faculty advisor and coach, Dr. Amber Puha.CSUSM was featured in the NSSA Nationals Magazine as the team to beat. When it came down to a tie of 109 points each between CSUSM and the University of North Carolina Wilmington, the Cougars went head to head in an intense sudden death surf-off and came out victorious.   "It felt so good to win this," said CSUSM team captain Garrett James. "At the state championships, we were really close to making a great run for the win until we lost most of our guys in the quarterfinals. I'm sure we can do it again next year." Teammate Aaron Coyle noted that Puha deserved a lot of credit for motivating and coaching the team. Puha, now in her ninth season as coach and advisor, commented that "it is especially rewarding for me to support this student achievement." A former college competitive surfer, she previously surfed on both the UCSD and UCLA surf teams.The CSUSM Surf Team is a student-lead club administered through Associated Students, Inc.  Hansen's Boardroom is a longtime team sponsor. Transworld Surf Magazine, Chemistry Surfboards, West Surfing, and Utopia provided support during tryouts.Visit http://www.hulu.com/watch/83584/fcs-exclusive-club-sports-2009-nssa-collegiate-surfing-championships to see the FOX College Sports production of the event.