<div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Coffin’s win today over Kolohe Andino (USA), Wade Carmichael (AUS) and Griffin Colapinto (USA) saw him make a massive leap up the QS ratings from 212st to 25th, but at No. 21 on the Championship Tour (CT) he will be relying on the final event of the Vans Triple Crown and 2017 CT – the Billabong Pipe Masters – to protect his place among the world’s best for 2018.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In 2015, Coffin, 24, earned his place on the CT after he qualified right here at Sunset during the Vans World Cup with a Semifinal finish. Prior to this, he was a seasonal campaigner to the North Shore and has been traveling to Oahu since the age of 12.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“It means so much, I've been surfing over here for so long, I love Hawaii and I love coming here and I just want to say a huge thanks to all the locals and everyone here for letting us have these events,” said Coffin during the awards presentation. “This year I've been on Tour, so we get good waves, but when I was doing the QS I looked forward to coming here because they're the only good waves we get to surf most of the year. It means so much to win here. So many of my favorite surfers have won this event, dream come true for sure.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Congrats to everyone too, the level of surfing at Sunset now is insane,” Coffin continued. “The turns Barron (Mamiya) was doing on a 6'0 or whatever he was riding were so gnarly. I kind of had to sit on him at the end of the Semifinal because I was tripping on how good he was surfing, and Benji (Brand) too. Congrats to everyone who made the Final and huge shout out to my brother for caddying for me, he's the man. So stoked to be here surfing with all my friends.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Colapinto, who has had an incredible performance on the North Shore this season after a runner-up finish at the Hawaiian Pro earlier this month, finished in fourth today and takes a strong lead on the Vans Triple Crown title heading into the Billabong Pipe Masters. He is trailed by fellow California surfer Andino who received the highest single wave score in the Final, an 8.17, and a second place finish in today’s event.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Carmichael had a monumental day as he achieved a decade-long goal of qualifying for the CT after an impressive showdown in the second Quarterfinal with a 9.10 and 7.00. The power behind Carmichael’s turns was in a league of its own and verifies he has the skill and progression to battle against the world’s best.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“It’s a dream come true,” said Carmichael after realizing his ultimate goal. “I've been trying so hard, I finally got a real good crack at it and it came true, I'm stoked man.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Carmichael had early success this season at Sunset with a runner up finish at the HIC Pro in October and made his real mark on the North Shore after he won the 2015 Hawaiian Pro at Haleiwa Ali‘i Beach Park. A QS veteran, Carmichael is part of the New Era qualifiers that also includes Colapinto, Willian Cardoso (BRA) and Tomas Hermes (BRA).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As the new 2017 WSL Hawaii/Tahiti Nui Regional Champ, Brand – who grew up between South Africa and Hawaii – earned a bid into all QS1,000 to QS6,000 events for 2018 and a huge leg-up into the QS10,000 events up until the mid-season date. He will also take home the Vans Regional Champion Scholarship for $5,000 to help with travel costs.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I didn't really think I was going to end up in this position, it feels pretty good to end up first in the region especially doing Sunset at the end of the year,” commented Brand. “This wave is really special to me, I've competed my whole life out here. It feels really sick, psyching to do the prime's (QS10,000) next year. Never done all the primes so this is a great opportunity.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The youngest competitor in the event, Mamiya, 17, earned the Vans Triple Crown Rookie Award by besting a field of 18 others and has had an incredibly successful year after winning multiple regional Pro Junior events, the WSL Hawaii/Tahiti Nui Regional Junior Champion, qualification into the World Junior Championship and now today’s accomplishment.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I'm stoked, I didn't even think I was going to win this award because I did really bad at Haleiwa, but I guess I made up for it here at Sunset,” said Mamiya atop the podium post-Final. “I'm stoked to win it and hopefully I can keep the momentum going until next year.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mamiya was the highest placing Hawaii athlete in the Vans World Cup and bowed out in the Semifinal after Andino narrowly beat him 13.63 to Mamiya’s 12.04.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the Final, Andino stayed committed through the 35-minute heat, but Coffin displayed quick work and excellent top to bottom surfing with a rhythm that could not be beat.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Surfers battled for position in the challenging 4-6ft. surf (10-12ft. wave faces) and Carmichael picked up two waves in the first few minutes of the heat to build momentum. Coffin dropped his first keeper score, a 7.33 for smooth, dynamic surfing and took the lead from the Australian, followed by Andino’s 8.17 opening ride where he drew off the bottom for a nice snap and successful completion to shake up the standings.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Andino and Coffin hunted barrels and the eventual winner found quick cover on a set wave followed with a carving maneuver to add a 7.0 to his scoreboard. Carmichael fought hard with huge, arcing turns but neither he nor Colapinto, 17, could overtake the two heat leaders, even with a 7.57 from the teen.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Vans Triple Crown now shifts to the famed Banzai Pipeline for the Billabong Pipe Masters, December 8 – 20. The capstone event for both the Vans Triple Crown and the 2017 WSL CT, The Billabong Pipe Masters will determine the new World Champion and all eyes will be on World Title contenders John John Florence (HAW), Gabriel Medina (BRA), Jordy Smith (ZAF) and Julian Wilson (AUS).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Vans Triple Crown of Surfing runs from November 12 – December 20 and features three events along the North Shore of Oahu; the Hawaiian Pro, from November 12 – 24, which saw the first Brazilian winner, Filipe Toledo, take out the competition on November 20; the Vans World Cup from November 25 – December 6; which crowned Conner Coffin on December 2; and the Billabong Pipe Masters from December 8 – 20, which is also the culminating event of the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><em><strong>RESULTS</strong></em></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Surfers shown in order of 1st through 4th</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1st – Conner Coffin (USA), 14.33</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2nd – Kolohe Andino (USA), 12.60</div><div style="text-align: justify;">3rd – Wade Carmichael (AUS), 11.60</div><div style="text-align: justify;">4th – Griffin Colapinto (USA), 8.17</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>Semifinals (1st and 2nd advance, 3rd = 5th place, 4th =7th place)</em></strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">SF1: Griffin Colapinto (USA), Wade Carmichael (AUS), Wiggolly Dantas (BRA), Dion Atkinson (AUS)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">SF2: Conner Coffin (USA), Kolohe Andino (USA), Barron Mamiya (HAW), Patrick Gudauskas (USA)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><em><strong>Quarterfinals (1st and 2nd advance, 3rd = 9th place, 4th = 13th place)</strong></em></div><div style="text-align: justify;">QF1: Wiggolly Dantas (BRA), Dion Atkinson (AUS), Benji Brand (HAW), Stu Kennedy (AUS)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">QF2: Wade Carmichael (AUS), Griffin Colapinto (USA), Caio Ibelli (BRA), Bino Lopes (BRA)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">QF3: Kolohe Andino (USA), Conner Coffin (USA), Lucas Silveira (BRA), Vasco Ribeiro (PRT)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">QF4: Patrick Gudauskas (USA), Barron Mamiya (HAW), Italo Ferreira (BRA), Sebastian Zietz (HAW)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div><br /></div>