Santa Cruz's John Mel ties for 13th at WSL's Jack's Surfboards Pro | Local Roundup
Mother Nature did Santa Cruz's John Mel no favors on Finals Day at the World Surf League's Vans Jack's Surfboards Pro in Huntington Beach on Sunday.
Mel caught one wave and scored a 2.93 to finish fourth in Heat 2 of the Round of 16, ending his run at the Qualifying Series 4,000-point event .
Encinitas' Levi Slawson beat Mel to the highest scoring wave early in the heat, which featured 1- to 4-foot conditions, and scored 7.83. Conditions petered out after that, and Slawson added a 4.20 for a 12.03 total.
"Me and John battled for the one first wave and that was kinda the difference," Slawson told the WSL in a post-heat interview. "I started deeper than everybody. Everybody paddled out by the pier, and I kinda shot up the beach and back-doored it. Yeah, it worked out."
Slawson said it was important to stay positive and show energy when conditions were poor.
"This why we do it, because we love to compete and we'll show up on days like this and be positive," he said. "Like, we're pro surfers. This is our job, so we show up and live the best life in the world. We have the best job in the world. I want to carry that attitude and try and win another event today. That would be cool."
San Clemente's Cannon Carr (11.33) took second in the heat and also advanced.
San Clemente's Taj Lindblad (10.17) took third and was also eliminated. He finished tied for ninth place overall and earned 1,260 points.
Mel tied for 13th place overall and earned 1,060 points.
Running
London Marathon: Santa Cruz's Jay Thomson, 46, took 347th out of 59,000 runners at the 2026 London Marathon on Sunday. He finished in 2 hours, 34 minutes, and 6 seconds.
Kenya's Sabastian Sawe (1:59:30) and Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa (2:15:41) successfully defended their titles with world record finishes.
College softball
3C2A NorCal Regional: Cabrillo was seeded No. 7 for the 3C2A NorCal Regional playoffs, and opens with a best-of-three, home series against No. 10 Cosumnes River.
The Seahawks (30-10) took fourth place in the Coast Conference and the Hawks (23-16) tied for third place in the Big 8 Conference.
Game 1 is Friday at 2 p.m. and Game 2 is Saturday at noon. Game 3, if needed, is Saturday at 2 p.m.
The series winner faces either No. 2 West Valley (35-4) or No. 15 Sacramento City (18-21) in the second round.
High school track and field
CCS Last Chance Invitational: Kirby School sophomore Oliver Dooley and Monte Vista Christian sophomore Anna Conca earned event wins at the CCS Last Chance Invitational at Mountain View High on Saturday.
Dooley took first in the 400-meter run (50.50) and third in the 200 in 23.13, and Conca took first in the 800 (2:14.50), which bettered her previous school record of 2:20.23, and second in the 400 in a personal-best 59.96, making her third-fastest in the distance in school history.
MVC's boys posted six top-10 finishes: senior Conor Gilliam took fourth in the 400 (52.35), senior Gavin Beckmen took sixth in the 3,200 (9:42.68), senior Owen Bingham took eighth in the 110 hurdles (18.07) and 300 hurdles (45.13), and freshman Chase Higdon took ninth in the 110 hurdles (18.30) and 10th in the 300 hurdles (45.28).
Beckmen's 4:30.02 finish in the 1,600 placed him 12th, but made his the second-fastest runner in the distance in Mustangs history. His 3,200 finish made him third-fastest in program history.
In girls action, Aptos junior Kenzie Culbertson took second in the 800 (2:14.59), making her the third-fastest in the distance in school history, and MVC sophomore Charley Moggia took third in the 100 hurdles (17.63).
Aptos junior Mata Overby took fourth in the 800 (2:20.32), and MVC freshman Karina Fromm took fourth in the 300 hurdles (51.84).
Mariners freshman Pierce Culbertson took seventh in the 800 (2:25.27), and Mustangs junior Finley Castro took seventh in the 400 (1:01.48) and eighth in the 1,600 (5:20.73).
High school baseball
At Pacific Grove 6, St. Francis 2: Freshman Brooks Drake hit a two-run single in the first inning, but the Sharks lost their nonleague game Saturday.
Junior Nicky Fantl and freshman Angelo Urabe Chavez scored for the Mustangs.
St. Francis (5-15-1) hosts Monterey (11-9) on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
At North Monterey County 5, Watsonville 0: Mathew Silva had a single and two stolen bases in the Wildcatz's nonleague loss Saturday.
Senior Huck Blanton had two hits and three RBI for the Condors (9-9).
Watsonville plays at Rancho San Juan (12-6) on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.
Boys lacrosse
At Washington (Fremont) 7, Harbor 6, OT: The Pirates lost their regular-season finale in overtime on Saturday.
Reporting Scores
Coaches are encouraged to report scores and highlights to sports@santacruzsentinel.com following games. Please include your name and contact number in the email.
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This story was originally published April 26, 2026 at 2:25 AM.