The World Surf League (WSL) North America 2024/2025 Qualifying Series (QS) season opens tomorrow, April 4, with the Jack's Surfboards Pro, a men's and women's QS 3,000. Huntington Beach Pier's iconic southside lineup will play host to the region's top contenders looking to get their season started with valuable points. Reigning North America QS Regional victors Michael Dunphy (USA) and Zoe Benedetto (USA) join Pro Junior Regional victors Bella Kenworthy (USA) and Blayr Barton (USA) amongst stacked fields.
A brilliant finish to the 2023/2024 QS season crowned Michael Dunphy the regional victor, his second-career regional title, and now locks in for a fresh start before heading to Snapper Rocks to begin his Challenger Series start.
Watch LIVE April 4 - 7 at worldsurfleague.com
Michael Dunphy Set to Start Season as Reigning Regional Victor
Another exciting finish to the North America QS season put Michael Dunphy back atop the rankings for the second time in three years. The perennial East Coast standout, Dunphy rejoins the Challenger Series in search of making his Championship Tour (CT) dreams a reality and looks to kick things off in the right direction with a big start to the 2024/2025 regional year after finishing with a Semifinal result at the Jack's Surfboards Pro in 2023.
"Anytime you can do an event in California is always fun and with Huntington I've had a lot of good moments there," said Dunphy. "I have a lot of good friends in Southern California so it just makes it fun for me and try to make some heats. I've won the region before and I've also let the stress get to me before so for that last event I just didn't want the stress to get to me. I just wanted the Challenger Series so to get runner-up and then win the region was a huge bonus. No one remembers yesterday and once this event starts what happens in the past doesn't really matter so I'll be psyched when it comes down to start time."
Dunphy will take on the likes of defending event victor John Mel plus Challenger Series qualifiers Alan Cleland, Owen Moss, Lucca Mesinas, Ryan Huckabee, former CT elite Kolohe Andino and 2024 Challenger Series requalifiers Jett Schilling, Nolan Rapoza, and more.
After her first full year competing among North America's QS contingent, Sara Freyre finished No. 8 and now returns home to Surf City U.S.A. in Huntington Beach to kickstart the 2024/2025 season.
Huntington Beach's Own Sara Freyre Set For A Big Year
An incredible first, full year among the QS contingent witnessed multiple Finals Day appearances from Sara Freyre, including a Quarterfinal run at this event to start her year. Growing up learning how to surf in Huntington Beach's lineups, Freyre returns home to kick off a fresh season in front of friends and finally after finishing at No. 8 on the North America rankings with ambitions set higher for the new year.
"I'm always so excited coming into this event since it's one of my favorite ones of the season just because I feel most comfortable here, it's right outside my home," said Freyre. "I love just surfing here and all my family and friends come down. This was one of my fist QS events and just getting to compete where I surf every day is definitely a confidence booster."
An incredible finish to the 2023/2024 season crowned Zoe Benedetto the North America QS Regional victor. - WSL
Freyre will start the season taking on the likes of 2024 Challenger Series representatives, reigning North America QS Regional victor Zoe Benedetto, Talia Swindal, Kirra Pinkerton, and Bella Kenworthy. Plus, regional standouts Leilani McGonagle (CRC), Ella McCaffray (USA), Sanoa Dempfle-Olin (CAN) and more.
From a season-ending injury last spring to claiming the North America Pro Junior Regional victor, Blayr Barton is back and has his ambitions set higher for 2024/2025 starting with the Jack's Surfboards Pro April 4 - 7.
Blayr Barton and Bella Kenworthy Staked Their Claim for World Junior Championships, Now Eye Valuable QS Points
Dream runs from Blayr Barton and Bella Kenworthy put them atop the North America Pro Junior rankings and now await their World Junior Championships debuts. For Barton, this accomplishment came courtesy of a runner-up in Cocoa Beach and his first-ever WSL win in Barbados to tie Owen Moss for the No. 1 spot - with the tiebreaker going to Barton. Now, Barton returns to familiar waters in search of kickstarting his aspirations fo qualifying for the Challenger Series.
"It's been a crazy year since going through an injury and being able to come back with a good mindset then end the year with a win and a win for the Pro Junior rankings is unbelievable," said Barton. "Going into this year I always want to have fun, but the biggest goal of mine is to make the Challenger Series. I just want to do my best and I'm just so psyched for this next season."
The new North America Pro Junior Regional victor Bella Kenworthy is ready for a fresh QS season in Huntington Beach before rejoining the Challenger Series elite.
Kenworthy's incredible career is just beginning and the 17-year-old now boasts a North America Pro Junior Regional title after not missing a Final in the 2024 season. The emerging San Clemente, California, threat, Kenworthy looks to fire up the cylinders at the Jack's Surfboards Pro before returning to the Challenger Series contenders and accrue a valuable 3,000 points to keep in reserve.
"I did not go into last season expecting [to win the Pro Junior], I think I lost first round in most of the events so just to make every Final was super cool," said Kenworthy. "It's crazy there's a week between seasons but I'm super excited for this competition. The way it's set up it just feels like such a big event. My siblings all come down and they love going to all the different booths so it just feels like a big contest and it's exciting."
Event organizers will convene at 7:30 a.m. PDT to determine a likely 8:00 a.m. start for opening day action.
Watch LIVE
The Jack's Surfboards Pro is the fist stop on the 2024/2025 North America Qualifying Series. The competition window opens April 4 through 7, 2024. Once called on, the competition will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com, the free WSL app, and the WSL's YouTube channel.
Fresh Start Awaits on Opening Day of Jack's Surfboards Pro
Andrew Nichols
The World Surf League (WSL) North America 2024/2025 Qualifying Series (QS) season opens tomorrow, April 4, with the Jack's Surfboards Pro, a men's and women's QS 3,000. Huntington Beach Pier's iconic southside lineup will play host to the region's top contenders looking to get their season started with valuable points. Reigning North America QS Regional victors Michael Dunphy (USA) and Zoe Benedetto (USA) join Pro Junior Regional victors Bella Kenworthy (USA) and Blayr Barton (USA) amongst stacked fields.
Michael Dunphy Set to Start Season as Reigning Regional Victor
Another exciting finish to the North America QS season put Michael Dunphy back atop the rankings for the second time in three years. The perennial East Coast standout, Dunphy rejoins the Challenger Series in search of making his Championship Tour (CT) dreams a reality and looks to kick things off in the right direction with a big start to the 2024/2025 regional year after finishing with a Semifinal result at the Jack's Surfboards Pro in 2023.
"Anytime you can do an event in California is always fun and with Huntington I've had a lot of good moments there," said Dunphy. "I have a lot of good friends in Southern California so it just makes it fun for me and try to make some heats. I've won the region before and I've also let the stress get to me before so for that last event I just didn't want the stress to get to me. I just wanted the Challenger Series so to get runner-up and then win the region was a huge bonus. No one remembers yesterday and once this event starts what happens in the past doesn't really matter so I'll be psyched when it comes down to start time."
Dunphy will take on the likes of defending event victor John Mel plus Challenger Series qualifiers Alan Cleland, Owen Moss, Lucca Mesinas, Ryan Huckabee, former CT elite Kolohe Andino and 2024 Challenger Series requalifiers Jett Schilling, Nolan Rapoza, and more.
Huntington Beach's Own Sara Freyre Set For A Big Year
An incredible first, full year among the QS contingent witnessed multiple Finals Day appearances from Sara Freyre, including a Quarterfinal run at this event to start her year. Growing up learning how to surf in Huntington Beach's lineups, Freyre returns home to kick off a fresh season in front of friends and finally after finishing at No. 8 on the North America rankings with ambitions set higher for the new year.
"I'm always so excited coming into this event since it's one of my favorite ones of the season just because I feel most comfortable here, it's right outside my home," said Freyre. "I love just surfing here and all my family and friends come down. This was one of my fist QS events and just getting to compete where I surf every day is definitely a confidence booster."
Freyre will start the season taking on the likes of 2024 Challenger Series representatives, reigning North America QS Regional victor Zoe Benedetto, Talia Swindal, Kirra Pinkerton, and Bella Kenworthy. Plus, regional standouts Leilani McGonagle (CRC), Ella McCaffray (USA), Sanoa Dempfle-Olin (CAN) and more.
Blayr Barton and Bella Kenworthy Staked Their Claim for World Junior Championships, Now Eye Valuable QS Points
Dream runs from Blayr Barton and Bella Kenworthy put them atop the North America Pro Junior rankings and now await their World Junior Championships debuts. For Barton, this accomplishment came courtesy of a runner-up in Cocoa Beach and his first-ever WSL win in Barbados to tie Owen Moss for the No. 1 spot - with the tiebreaker going to Barton. Now, Barton returns to familiar waters in search of kickstarting his aspirations fo qualifying for the Challenger Series.
"It's been a crazy year since going through an injury and being able to come back with a good mindset then end the year with a win and a win for the Pro Junior rankings is unbelievable," said Barton. "Going into this year I always want to have fun, but the biggest goal of mine is to make the Challenger Series. I just want to do my best and I'm just so psyched for this next season."
Kenworthy's incredible career is just beginning and the 17-year-old now boasts a North America Pro Junior Regional title after not missing a Final in the 2024 season. The emerging San Clemente, California, threat, Kenworthy looks to fire up the cylinders at the Jack's Surfboards Pro before returning to the Challenger Series contenders and accrue a valuable 3,000 points to keep in reserve.
"I did not go into last season expecting [to win the Pro Junior], I think I lost first round in most of the events so just to make every Final was super cool," said Kenworthy. "It's crazy there's a week between seasons but I'm super excited for this competition. The way it's set up it just feels like such a big event. My siblings all come down and they love going to all the different booths so it just feels like a big contest and it's exciting."
Event organizers will convene at 7:30 a.m. PDT to determine a likely 8:00 a.m. start for opening day action.
Watch LIVE
The Jack's Surfboards Pro is the fist stop on the 2024/2025 North America Qualifying Series. The competition window opens April 4 through 7, 2024. Once called on, the competition will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com, the free WSL app, and the WSL's YouTube channel.
Michael Dunphy
A brilliant finish to the 2023/2024 QS season crowned Michael Dunphy the regional victor, his second-career regional title, and now locks
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The former event winner Michael Dunphy returns looking to kickstart another dream run similar to his 2022 momentum builder that sent him to
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