VW State Classic 2026 Day 1 Results: Schools, SUP and Masters Open in Coffs Harbour

Sydney, Australia – Day 1 of the VW State Classic is done. Three venues, three different stories, one consistent thread: the surf didn’t make it easy for anyone, and the competitors showed up anyway.

*St Peter’s Anglican College. Credit: Matthew Dunbar*

HIGH SCHOOLS | Macauleys Beach

A rainy Monday morning opened the VW State Classic, and Macauleys delivered. Two-to-four foot NE swell, light winds, and a rip running through the corner made for ideal tag team conditions.

St Francis Xavier College were the standouts in the boys. Tommy Hainsworth, Kade Kelly, and Felix Byrnes each took out their respective finals, surfing with the kind of consistency that makes judges’ jobs easy. St Francis Xavier College went back-to-back across Senior and Junior Boys. A complete team performance.

Bulli High made their presence felt across every division they entered. In the Junior Boys, Noah Kornek and Kai Anderson were among the best in the water all day. Kornek posted an 8.5, one of the highest single wave scores of the day.

St Peters Anglican College took the Junior Girls final through Penny Fletcher and Eve Campbell, who found the long-running lefts at Macauleys and used every metre of them. Both girls posted strong scores and qualified St Peters for the Australian High School Titles, backing up their title from last year.

Illawarra Sports High came into the Senior Girls with something to defend. Alice Hodgson and Rubylee Neil defended it. Both surfers attacked sections with real intent and looked sharp throughout their final. Title retained.

Every school division winner has now qualified for the Team NSW State LAB team and will head to Margaret River, WA in December to compete at the Australian Junior Surfing Titles.

High School Finalists

Junior Girls

St Peters Anglican College
Bulli High
Woolgoolga High School
Evans River School
St Luke’s Grammar School

Junior Boys

St Francis Xavier College
McAuley Catholic College
Bulli High
The Scots College

Senior Boys

St Francis Xavier College
Waverley College
Bulli High
The Scots College

Senior Girls

Illawarra Sports High
McAuley Catholic College
Warilla High School
Bulli High
Cape Byron Steiner School

SUP | Northern Side of the Jetty

The SUP field set up on the northern side of the Jetty and got a proper test from the start. Wind swung between offshore, cross and onshore throughout the day. The swell sat at a lumpy 2 to 4 foot, and heavy rain squalls rolled through to keep everyone honest. The competitors handled it.

Rebecca Dunning was the standout of the day. She won the Open Women and backed it up with the Over 40 Women’s title. Two divisions, two wins, and she looked comfortable throughout.

Marty Cole matched that in the men’s. He took out the Open Men 9 Foot division and added the Over 40 Men’s title to go with it. Strong performance across a long day of competition.

Phil Baggs took the Over 70 Men’s division. Putting yourself in 2 to 4 foot lumpy surf in squalling rain to compete for a state title at 70 plus is its own statement. Baggs made it, and he won.

SUP Results

Open Women

Rebecca Dunning

Open Men

Blaire Moore
Connor Linz
Matt Russell

O40 Women

Rebecca Dunning

O40 Men

Marty Cole
Matthew Russell
Giovani Mazza

O50 Men

Adam Robinson
Blaire Moore
Rohan Evans
Justin Dunning

O60 Men

Adam Robinson
Jonathan Gatt
Craig Caldwell

Open Men 9ft+

Marty Cole
Connor Linz
Alan Salazar
Rohan Evans

O50 Men 9ft+

Paul Haile
Rohan Evans

O60 Men 9ft+

Jonathan Gatt
Craig Caldwell
Paul Redman

O70 Men

Phil Baggs
Steven Harpur
David Sands

STATE MASTERS | Gallows Beach

The State Masters opened at Gallows Beach in solid surf with rain that sat over the site most of the day. Surfline had forecast 1 to 2 metres with offshore northerly winds, and that held up. Conditions were challenging and competitive from the first heat.

Over 60 Men went first. John Schmidenberg was the one to beat from the opening heat, posting a 6.33 and a 7.40 to book his quarter-final spot and put the rest of the division on notice.

The Over 65 Men produced the surfing of the day. Rod Baldwin, the reigning Australian Champion, looked exactly like it. Scores of 7.0 and 7.40 in difficult surf, surfing with a sharpness that made the age bracket feel beside the point. Baldwin is in form and the field knows it.

No finals ran today across the masters divisions. That changes tomorrow at Gallows Beach. If Day 1 set the standard, it is going to be worth watching.

Masters Results

No finals contested on Day 1. Competition resumes tomorrow. Location to be determined tomorrow morning via the event WhatsApp channel.

Full event details, daily galleries, and updates via the VW State Classic 2026 microsite.

Follow along at @SurfingNSW on:

For media inquiries please contact: media@surfingnsw.com.au

Beyond the Waves

The competition takes the centre, but the six-day event sits inside a wider program of activations across the Coffs Coast.

Coopers Surf, Australia’s largest in-stock surfboard range, has every competitor covered with a $20 voucher in their pack and 20 percent off accessories with any board purchase. The team will run a shaper demo day across the week and host a movie night at Aanuka Beach House.
Surfline returns as the event’s forecast partner, delivering daily reports and a 30 percent member discount on Premium and Premium+. URBN Surf is putting unlimited surfing day passes up for grabs at competition sites.
Surfing NSW’s own programs are on-site all week.
- The LAB performance coaching crew is providing beachside support from 6am daily, with pre-heat warm-ups, strategy chats and post-heat reviews at the Juniors site.
- Her Wave runs a women’s session on Wednesday afternoon.

The central event hub will once again be Aanuka Beach House, with the post-beach schedule coming to life across its fire pits and outdoor spaces to relax, dine and connect. Competitors can redeem 20% off food and beverage at the Aanuka Beach House Restaurant by presenting their event wristband at the counter.

“We’re excited to welcome the VW State Classic back for another year. Events like this create a great atmosphere across the Coffs region when competitors and their families are in town. We love hosting everyone at Aanuka Beach House for the activations and encourage the community to come down and get amongst it throughout the week,”
Keron McDermott, General Manager, Aanuka Beach House

The Coffs Coast Welcome

The 2026 event renews its partnership with Coffs Council and Coffs Coast Events, with three competition sites activated across the region for five surfing disciplines. City of Coffs Harbour Mayor Nikki Williams welcomed the event’s return.

“As a destination of choice, Coffs Harbour is always up for massive events and it doesn’t get any better than the Surfing NSW State Classic, Mayor Nikki Williams said. It’s a spectacular showpiece that stokes surfing culture and best of all, it embraces the grassroots community aspect of the sport.

Local competitors and fans will be wrapped to see athletes ranging in age from groms to seasoned veterans tackle the waves in a City renowned for its beach culture and warm welcome.”