Nautique Pro Am Winners Begin to Shine on Friday

Nautique Pro Am - Day 1 | Nautique Pro Am - Day 3 | Nautique Pro Am - Video

The next generation of riders shined on the water on Friday as the Nautique Pro Am presented by Rockstar Energy Drink moved into the final rounds for the amateur divisions while the pros saw action for the first time during the event. The third stop of the Nautique Wake Series provided some great entertainment on the world’s best wake produced by both the Super Air Nautique G23 and G21. Ten Pro Am titles were awarded including Connor Pogetto in the Adaptive Sitboarding division scoring a 90.00 on his Finals run. Jamie Lopina put together a strong combination of 540s and inverts to claim the Jr. Women Division.
   
"The Pro Am is a great event and I am stoked to get the win," said Lopina. "We have had great conditions this week and the event has been on point. I knew if I could put in a good run, I could take the finals and everything worked out great."
 
In the Girls (10-14) division Hollie Wladrop battled with Mary Howell for the top spot in the Semi Finals with Hollie taking first in the heat with a run that included a heelside 360, frontroll, backroll and backside 180. In the Boys (10-14) Kevin Duffy and Tanner Higham won their respective heats. Duffy’s run included a backside 540, Moby Dick and Tantrum to blind, while Higham showed a lot of diversity combining flips in spins for his run.
  
In the Jr. Pro Semi Finals it was Nic Rappa besting everyone with a Switch toeside 900 nose grab. Rappa takes the top seed into Saturday’s finals where he will face off with Jake Pelot, Cobe France, Gunner Daft, Jason Soven and Elliot Digney.
   
With many amateur divisions completed, 31 Pro Men battled to move on to Saturday’s semifinal round while 14 Pro Women looked to grab a spot in the Finals.
 
In the Pro Women’s Semis, Team Nautique’s Megan Ethel put in a stand up run to claim the top seed in the Finals. In Pro Wakeskate, Rockstar Energy athlete Reed Hansen won his heat with a switch front big. In the Pro Men’s Quarterfinals, Rockstar’s Rusty Malinoski went huge on his run to earn the top score in the division just beating out Shota Tezuka who combined two 900s and a crow mobe 540 on his stand up run. Dean Smith, who is returning from injury, posted the third best run of the day with his signature style to win his heat.
 
The third and final day of the Nautique Pro Am will wrap up the third leg of the Nautique Wake Series with winners being crowned in all of the Pro classes as well as the remaining Amateur Divisions.
 
Results - Day 2
 
Amateur Wakeskate Final
1. Noah Belmont – 55.00
2. Chris Birch – 43.33
3. Francisco Cabezas – 30.00
 
Women Wakeskate Final
1. Natalie Graham – 64.00
 
Amateur Women (18-24) Final
1. Morgan Crescent – 71.67
2. Gianna Dinatale – 60.00
3. Nicole Key – 25.00
 
Junior Women (14-18) Final
1. Jamie Lopina – 83.33
2. Alyssa Williams – 53.33
 
Adaptive Sitboarding Final
1. Connor Aguilar-Pogetto – 90.00
 
Junior Boys Beginner Final
1. Alex Albin – 71.00
 
Boys Beginner Final
1. Rocco Ralston – 61.67
 
Veterans (40 and over) Final
1. Rex LaVerne – 66.67
2. Fred Birch – 45.00
3. Todd Coons – 28.33
 
Pro Veterans Final
1. Chad Lowe – 81.67
 
Girls (10-14) Semifinal
1. Hollie Waldrop – 85.33
2. Mary Howell – 70.00
3. Elle Christensen – 60.00
4. Sofia Mendez – 43.33
 
Boys (10-14) Semifinal
 
Heat #1
1. Kevin Duffy – 93.33
2. Thomas Herman – 80.00
 
Heat #2
1. Daniel Johnson – 61.67
2. Tanner Higham – 50.00
 
Jr. Pro Men Quarterfinals
 
Heat #1
1. Cobe France – 79.33
2. Jason Soven – 73.67
3. Elliott Digney – 65.67
 
Heat #2
1. Nic Rappa – 88.33
2. Jake Pelot – 81.67
3. Gunner Daft – 75.00
 
Pro Wakeskate Semifinals (top rider in each heat advances)
 
Heat #1
1. Reed Hansen – 90.67
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2. Brian Grubb – 87.00
 
Heat #2
1. Danny Hampson – 89.67
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2. Austin Polterock – 82.67
 
Pro Women Semifinals (top rider in each heat advances)
 
Heat #1
1. Meagan Ethell – 86.00
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2. Nicola Butler – 81.00
 
Heat #2
1. Raimi Merritt – 74.67
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2. Taylor McCullough – 67.33
 
Heat #3
1. Dallas Friday – 81.00
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2. Melissa Marquardt – 68.67
 
Pro Men Quarterfinals (top rider in each heat advances)
 
Heat #1
1. Jacob Valdez – 73.33
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2. Massi Piffaretti – 70.33
 
Heat #2
1. Shota Tezuka – 88.33
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2. Kyle Rattray – 78.33
 
Heat #3
1. Rusty Malinoski – 89.00
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2. Andrew Adkison – 80.67
 
Heat #4
1. Cory Teunissen – 86.67
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2. Bob Soven – 73.33
 
Heat #5
1. Dean Smith – 88.00
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2. Danny Harf – 82.00
 
Heat #6
1. Tony Iacconi – 86.00
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2. Noah Flegel – 82.00

About Nautique
Celebrating 90 years of excellence in the marine industry, Correct Craft is the owner of Nautique Boat Company, Inc., Aktion Parks, and Pleasurecraft Marine Engine Company. Nautique manufactures the highest quality, most innovative ski and wake-sports boats available worldwide and provides exceptional customer service experiences. To learn more about Nautique and its complete product line, visit nautique.com. Also find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
 
About Rockstar Energy Drink
Rockstar Energy Drink is designed for those who lead active lifestyles – from Athletes to Rockstars. Available in over 25 flavors at convenience and grocery outlets in over 30 countries, Rockstar supports the Rockstar lifestyle across the globe through Action Sports, Motor Sports, and Live Music. For more information visit RockstarEnergy.com, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or YouTube.
 
About the WBWS
The Wakeboard World Series will offer the largest payout the sport has seen in its 26-year history with a total of $425,000 to be handed out to the men and women throughout the series. This increase is just one of many avenues that the WWA have stepped up to further legitimize wakeboarding along with an increased focus on attracting media, sponsors, and consumers. This year’s Wakeboard World Series is the largest World Series in recent years, making it the only true global wakeboard series. The 2015 Wakeboard World Series will travel to four rounds within the United States as well as Mexico, Brazil, Canada, a return to Japan, and for the first time, the WWA World Championships will be held in Portugal.
 
About the WWA
The World Wakeboard Association is the global leader in wake sports sanctioning. The WWA owns and operates the WWA Wakeboard World Series, WWA Wake Park World Series, WWA Wakeboard National Championships, WWA Wake Park National Championships, WWA Wakeboard World Championships, WWA Wake Park World Championships, WWA Wake Park Triple Crown, WWA Pro Card and WWA Rider Experience. With 27 affiliate countries worldwide, the WWA is a rider-formed organization dedicated to promoting and growing wake sports worldwide. It is the primary source for riders, event organizers and competitive standards. For more information on the WWA and its events, check out thewwa.com.

Nautique Pro Am - Day 1 | Nautique Pro Am - Day 3 | Nautique Pro Am - Video