SC surfers Hardy, Hunter win titles

LOCAL ROUNDUP

Locals Valadez Ingersoll, Friedman earn victories in Firecracker 10k race

Mari Friedman, of Santa Cruz, finds herself in a familiar position as she runs to victory in the women’s field at the 40th Santa Cruz Firecracker 10K race on Friday. PHOTOS BY SHMUEL THALER — SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL

Raymond Valadez Ingersoll, 23, of Santa Cruz, has the course to himself as he runs to the mens title in the 40th Santa Cruz Firecracker 10K race on Friday.

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By Jim Seimas

jseimas@santacruzsentinel.com

Santa Cruz’s Isla Hardy and Kirra Huntress each made two Open finals at the 2025 National Scholastic Surfing Association National Championships at Huntington Beach Pier.

Hardy (14.77) took first place in the Open Womens (all ages) final.

In the Open Women’s final, she counted wave scores of 6.60 and 8.17. Huntress (14.16) took second, Japan’s Anri Matsuno (11.57) was third, and Santa Cruz’s Camille Cortazzo (0.80) took fouth.

In the Open Girls (U16) final, Hardy (14.50) was edged by Torrance’s Teagan Meza (14.54) for the title. Huntress (13.36) took third, and Santa Cruz’s Riviera Hunter (12.40) was fourth.

Hardy counted wave scores of 6.17 and 8.33, and Meza counted scores of 6.37 and 8.17.

Santa Cruz’s Mason Sehorn reached the Open Boys (U14) semifinals and placed third in the heat with a 12.73 total.The NSSA Explorer championships were held earlier in the week and Hunter made two finals and emerged with a win. She took first place in the Explorer Girls (14&U) final with a two-wave score of 12.83.

“Today is one of the best days of my life!” Hunter wrote on Instagram. “I’m so excited to have won NSSA Explorer 14&U division at nationals. After a very interesting season in which I learned a lot this is just about the best thing that could’ve happened. I worked so hard for this win. I can tell you that all the hard work was worth it when I got chaired up the beach by my besties. It was the best feeling — ever!”

Hunter counted wave scores of 6.50 and 6.33. She finished ahead of Meza (10.24), Ansley West (8.83) of North Florida, and Huntington Beach’s Athena Staros (3.73).

Hunter also took third in the in the Explorer Womens (all ages) with a score of 14.90.

Running

Santa Cruz Firecracker >> Santa Cruz’s Raymond Valadez Ingersoll, 23, and Mari Friedman, 25, won 10k titles at the 40th Santa Cruz Firecracker races on Friday.

Valadez Ingersoll finished first out of 240 runners in 36 minutes, 46 seconds. He was followed across the finish line by runner-up Nick Kovaleski (37:37) of Burlingame, and third-place finisher Christian Alcala (37:56) of Belmont.

Friedman repeated as the top female in 41:16 and placed ninth overall. Santa Cruz’s Rebecca Paten (41:44) took second, and Felton’s Jennifer Germann (45:05) was third.

Friedman, a former runner for Santa Cruz High and Oregon State University, has placed first among women seven times in the past nine years with top-five overall finishes in each of those runs.

Santa Cruz’s Callan Jamieson, 9, the youngest runner in the field, took 86th in 55:49. Fremont’s Nancy Mitrick, 82, was the oldest runner in the field and placed 238th in 1:49:57.

Aptos’ Jack Rose, 28, and Santa Cruz’s Megan Barrett, 35, won 5k titles.

Rose finished first out of 367 runners in 15:51 and was followed closest by Santa Cruz’s Jay Thomson (16:01) and Watsonville’s Dayne Gradone (16:37). It was a familiar top three. Rose finished in second, 2.7 seconds behind Thomson, in the 2024 race, and Gradone took third.

Barrett finished in 15th overall in 18:20. Santa Cruz’s Melissa Sosa (18:27) and Gilroy’s Daniela Salazar (18:50) rounded out the top three.

Felton’s Lucas Crick, 9, Mountain View’s Penny Ball, 9, earned wins in the Kids’ 1k race, which featured 80 runners. Crick finished in 3:56 and Ball was second across the finish line in 4:31.

College softball

Gomez commits >> West Valley’s All-American third baseman Rylee Gomez, a Watsonville High alumna, has committed to NCAA Division II Cal State University East Bay.

In 33 games in 2025, Gomez batted .456 (47 for 103) with 19 extra-base hits, 38 RBI, and 24 runs scored. She helped the Vikings (42-5 overall) earn a share of the Coast Conference title and qualify for the state championships.

East Bay (40-15, 26-10), under veteran coach Claire Sua-Amundson, won the California Collegiate Athletic Association regular-season title in 2025 and went 2-2 in the NCAA Regionals.

Pro baseball

Keaschall update >> Minnesota Twins rookie utility player Luke Keaschall, an Aptos High alum who is on the 60-day IL with a fractured forearm, has been cleared to resume all baseball activities, except hitting live pitching, the MLB team reported Monday.

Women’s basketball

Jones released >> The Dallas Wings released Santa Cruz guard/forward Haley Jones, the team announced Sunday.

Jones signed a hardship contract with the Wings on June 17 following injuries to Tyasha Harris and Maddy Siegrist, and National Team obligations for Teaira McCowan and Luisa Geiselsöder. Both McCowan and Geiselsöder return to Dallas this week following the conclusion of the 2025 EuroBasket, which forced the release of Jones, per league rules.

In two games with the Wings, both wins, Jones averaged 12 minutes, four points and four rebounds.