Ruby Stringfellow became the youngest champion in Super Girl Surf Pro history on Sunday, claiming the title at age 14 on the event's 20th anniversary. The Californian defeated Mia McLeish in the final at Oceanside Pier, edging a tense heat by the narrowest of margins.
A final decided by a single wave
The decisive moment arrived late in the heat. McLeish, an Orange County rival, paddled into a wave that could have swung the scores. Stringfellow watched from the line-up, certain the title was slipping away.
When the judges ruled the wave lacked enough power for McLeish to complete her ride, the 14-year-old was left speechless. Stringfellow finished with a two-wave total of 11.67 to McLeish's 11.46, a margin of just 0.21 points.
Three multi-QS winners beaten
The teenager’s path to the trophy ran through a hardened field. In the semifinal she eliminated Eden Walla, the previous youngest champion, by a score of 11.90 to 10.83. Walla had taken the record in 2024 at age 15, beating Stringfellow in the semis that same year.
Earlier rounds saw Stringfellow overcome Talia Swindal and Tahiti’s Aelan Vaast. She was clinical in tight exchanges, winning her quarterfinal by just 0.11 points before producing her highest heat total of the event against Walla.
"This is insane that it's the 20th year, and I'm the youngest to ever win, it's just the cherry on top of the cherry," Stringfellow told reporters afterwards. "Just to anyone watching, you can pursue your dreams because they can come true."
The result lifts Stringfellow to the top of the WSL Qualifying Series rankings. Two summers ago she arrived at this same pier as a 13-year-old debutant and reached the semifinals. Now she leaves as the name that reset a two-decade record book.
