Santa Barbara’s Lakey Peterson scored the largest upset of her young surfing career on Sunday at the Huntington Beach pier, taking down reigning women’s national champion Courtney Conlogue in the open division’s final at the NSSA’s Southwest Conference’s third event.
The 14-year-old used wave scores of 7.43 and 5 to beat out Conlogue’s combined total of 9 in the 20-minute heat. Conlogue, who won the conference last season before going on the win the national title in June, hadn’t lost a heat in open women’s competition since this time last year.
Peterson nearly beat Conlogue in the final of the season’s first event in early September, but didn’t let her get away this time.
“We’re really good friends out of the water,” said Peterson on the drive back home Sunday night. “But in the water it’s on. We have our game faces on.”
Peterson will remain in second in the season standings despite the victory. The next contest is this weekend in Oceanside.
Other locals turning heads included 13-year-old Patrick Curren, who made the boys finals, and Parker Coffin, who bowed out after a semifinal run in the same division.
