Florida Tech Shines in East Coast Surfing Championships
MELBOURNE, FLA.—Florida Institute of Technology student Justin Ellingham, a junior majoring in ocean engineering and co-captain of the surfing team, recently won the men’s overall in the college division of the National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) East Coast Championships. Ellingham also received the DNA Energy’s Performer of the Day award for his high scores on the third day of the competition. His co-captain Sebastian Moreno, a senior majoring in international business, placed third and Frankie Brown, a senior majoring in marine biology, placed fifth in the women’s overall. The Panthers team placed fourth overall.
The NSSA, a non-profit organization, is the highest profile amateur competitive surfing association in the United States. The 19th annual competition on April 7-10 in New Smyrna Beach yielded more than 350 surfers from four eastern conferences. Those advancing to the NSSA National Interscholastic Championships on June 16-18 in Dana Point, Calif., are yet to be determined.
The Florida Tech team who held their #1 position all season long also became the season champion team for the Southeast Region. The Panther’s team members also include men’s shortboard experts Alex Ferencz, Aaron Privett, Billy Scott, Pat Brennan, Kiki Roettger, Pat Reilly, Ellis White, Steve Andrich, Samuel Breit, Spencer Jenkins and Ryan Barnett; women’s shortboard experts are Katie Spagnolo, Ashley Privett and Allison Randolph; Will Cole is a longboard expert.
The team has a club on campus open to those interested in learning how to surf or for surfing in general. Meetings are held in the Evans Library, room P133, every Tuesday at 8 p.m.
The team seeks corporate sponsors for next year. For more information, send email to Alex Ferencz at aferencz@my.fit.edu or Sebastian Moreno at smoreno@fit.edu.
