Chase Burnes of King Kekaulike blows his surfboard fins out of the water in completing a turn which helped him to win the boys shortboard at the Maui Interscholastic League Surf Championship on Saturday at Hookipa Beach Park. Photo courtesy Dayanidhi

Sloane Jucker of Maui Prep defended her Maui Interscholastic League shortboard title, while Chase Burnes defeated a couple of former MIL champions to win his first boys shortboard crown at the MIL Surf Championship on Saturday at Hookipa Beach Park.

The meet acted as the MIL qualifier for the first-ever Hawaii High School Activities Association State Surfing Championship, which will be May 1-2 at Hookipa.

On Saturday, competitors were treated to a rainless day with clean surf that gradually picked up to the head-high range for the afternoon heats.

Jucker, a Lahaina senior, handed Ocean Lipstein her first shortboard loss of the season. Jucker was trailing Lipstein over halfway through the 20-minute final when she caught a set-wave and did a big turn. She then hit a breaking section and did what one judge described as a “high-speed floater” down the face of the wave. Jucker was rewarded with a 7.93, the highest score of the heat.

“It was kind of like a close-out wave,” Jucker said. “I am really glad I was able to pull it off. It felt pretty good. I felt I might as well go for it. I know I needed a wave. I knew that one wasn’t going to be it unless I did something big.”

Sloane Jucker of Maui Prep won her second consecutive girls shortboard title. Photo courtesy Dayanidhi

Last year, Jucker went undefeated, while this season Lipstein, a Lahainaluna freshman, had beaten her in the three previous MIL contests.

“For sure, this season hasn’t been as good as my last one, but I won when it counted the most,” Jucker said. “I’m excited to go to states in longboard too. I am pumped to surf with a new group of people.”

Burnes put an end to Zolten Poulsen’s winning streak. Like Lipstein, Poulsen had won the boys shortboard in the three previous MIL meets. Poulsen, who was the MIL champion two years ago, placed second. The defending champion, Angel Jardine of Maui Christian, placed fifth.

Burnes was sitting in fourth place when a wave went wide and he chased it down.

“My first two turns were alright — not too bad — but I knew if I was going to get a good score on this one, I had to do something good,” he said. “I tried to blow the tail on the third turn. I didn’t reverse it because I wanted to make one more turn.”

His completed blow tail maneuver, combined with the three other turns, gave him a score of 8.17, the highest in any of the final heats.

“It’s my first win of the year,” he said. “I’ve been so close.”

According to Burnes, the difference was his new 5-foot, 9-inch surfboard. “First time riding it was today, my first heat this morning,” he said. “It worked well through the whole contest.”

Lipstein led all MIL qualifiers by qualifying in all three disciplines. She won the bodyboard and finished second in shortboard and longboard. She surfed a total of eight heats throughout the day over two hours of competitive surfing.

Ocean Lipstein of Lahainaluna air drops down the wave face. Lipstein won the bodyboard and placed second in the longboard and bodyboard. Photo courtesy Dayanidhi

Lipstein admitted to being a little tired after her final heat, but she said she is looking forward to competing in three events at states.

“I surf every day, and we do physical training three times a week,” she said.

Zolten Poulsen of Maui Prep nose-rides to victory in boys shortboard. Photo courtesy Dayanidhi

Poulsen won the longboard for the third straight contest.

“Like I said before, longboarding is just fun to go out there with my friends, and it’s not quite as eggy,” he said. “It’s just fun and I’m stoked to win, of course.”

Poulsen, a senior, is the leader of a Maui Prep team that is in commanding position to win the MIL boys team title at Lahaina Harbor in two weeks. The winning boys and girls teams will qualify their full complement of surfers, including three shortboarders, two longboarders and a bodyboarder, for the state championships.

“We’re feeling pretty good,” Poulsen said. “We’ve been doing pretty solid. I think we can get it done.”

The other MIL individual champions were Rex Ang of Baldwin in boys bodyboard and Lila Sloan of Maui Christian in girls longboard.

Rex Ang of Baldwin pulls into a breaking wave section. Ang won the boys bodyboard. Photo courtesy Dayanidhi

King Kekaulike is leading Lahainaluna by one point going into the final girls MIL event April 25 at Lahaina Harbor. Maui Christian Academy and Maui Prep are also in the hunt for the girls title, trailing Na Ali’i by three points. In the boys division, Maui Prep is leading Kihei Charter by eight points.

Lila Sloan of Maui Christian redirects her board in winning the girls longboard. Photo courtesy Dayanidhi

Maui Interscholastic League Surf Championship

Saturday, April 11, 2026

Boys Results

Shortboard — 1. Chase Burnes, King Kekaulike, 15.34*; 2. Zolten Poulsen, Maui Prep, 14.37*; 3. Kahlil Pineres-Schooley, Seabury Hall, 11.70*; 4. Memphis Brown, Haleakala Waldorf, 10.80*; 5. Angel Jardine, Maui Christian, 9.14*; 6. Ozzie Reyes, King Kekaulike, 5.96*.

Longboard — 1. Zolten Poulsen, Maui Prep, 14.50*; 2. Bode Davis, Kulanihakoi, 10.54*; 3. Sebastian Bianchi, King Kekaulike, 10.10*; 4. Chase Lee, Lahainaluna, 8.83*; 5. Seth Jucker, Maui Prep, 6.73; 6. Kahlil Pineres-Schooley, Seabury Hall, 6.17.

Bodyboard — 1. Rex Ang, Baldwin, 13.40*; 2. Makoa Kapuniai, King Kekaulike, 12.00*; 3. Levi Stoddart, Lahainaluna, 9.50; 4. Jayden Hottenstein, Haleakala Waldorf, 9.27; 5. Akira Thayer, Seabury Hall, 6.03; 6. Miki Przeciechowski, Kihei Charter, 5.10.

Girls Results

Shortboard — 1. Sloane Jucker, Maui Prep, 14.00*; 2. Ocean Lipstein, Lahainaluna, 11.34*; 3. Lila Sloan, Maui Christian, 10.67*; 4. Kaja Przeciechowska, King Kekaulike, 9.63*; 5. Mikaia Barnes, King Kekaulike, 8.64*; 6. Thayane Colpas, Maui Christian, 7.33*; 7. Peyton Prouty, Seabury Hall, 4.37*.

Longboard — 1. Lila Sloan, Maui Christian, 9.73*; 2. Ocean Lipstein, Lahainaluna, 8.66*; 3. Zoey Offergeld, Maui Prep, 8.20*; 4. Sloane Jucker, Maui Prep, 8.10*; 5. Gianna Pogni, Lahainaluna, 7.20; 6. Thayane Colpas, Maui Christian, 6.30.

Bodyboard — 1. Ocean Lipstein, Lahainaluna, 12.00*; 2. Hi’ipoi Starbuck, Kamehameha Maui, 8.37*; 3. Maddie Hughes, King Kekaulike, 6.47*; 4. Kili Smith, Kihei Charter, 4.84; 5. Ava Herren, Baldwin, 4.83; 6. Kailani Smith, Seabury Hall, 4.50

* denotes state qualifier