LOS ANGELES, Calif., USA ( Thursday, October 12, 2023) - Caitlin Simmers (USA) and Ian Gentil (HAW) have been awarded Rookie of the Year honors after outstanding performances on the 2023 World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT) season. Simmers clinched a spot in the WSL Final 5 and finished the year ranked No. 4 in the world. Gentil made the Mid-season Cut and finished the season as No. 14.
Simmers put the world's best on notice this year, winning two events and finishing as No. 4 on the rankings. The 17-year-old started her first CT season with a win at the MEO Rip Curl Portugal, followed by a second win at the VIVO Rio Pro. She then solidified her spot in the WSL Final 5 by earning a runner-up finish at the SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro. Simmers' outstanding performance at Teahupo'o will be valuable going into next year as she also provisionally qualified through the WSL CT to represent the USA at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which will be held at the same venue, Teahupo'o, Tahiti.
To close out her season at the Rip Curl WSL Finals, Simmers climbed one spot in the rankings by taking down Molly Picklum (AUS) in Match 1. During the Finals, Simmer's powerful rail-to-rail surfing was on full display and wowed the crowd. Simmers is known for her fluid surfing style combined with progression, distinguishing her as a prominent figure in the next generation of surfing.
Maui's Ian Gentil finished his first season on the Championship Tour ranked No.14, the highest of the men's rookie class. After narrowly making the Mid-season Cut, Gentil found his rhythm in the back half of the season with his stand-out performance in El Salvador, where he earned a Semifinal finish. He then kept that momentum going, making it to the Quarterfinals in J-Bay. Gentil has long been touted as one of the best talents to come out of Maui and lived up to those expectations this year.
After incredible starts to their CT careers, Simmers and Gentil will use their experiences to build on their success in next year's season. The first stop of the 2024 CT season will be held at the world-renowned Banzai Pipeline and holds a competition window from January 29 through February 10, 2024.
For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com