Crosby Colapinto and Brisa Hennessy Win EDP Ericeira Pro
by: WSL
Published: October 12, 2026
Pictured: Brisa Hennessy (CRC) and Crosby Colapinto (USA), the winners of the EDP Ericeira Pro Presented by Xacobeo. Photo:Damien Poullenot
RIBEIRA D’ILHAS, Ericeira, Portugal ...Crosby Colapinto (USA) and Brisa Hennessy (CRC) won the World Surf League (WSL) Challenger Series (CS) Stop No. 4, the EDP Ericeira Pro Presented by Xacobeo after a long and intense Finals Day as Ribeira d’Ilhas turned on for a last hurrah. After a challenging week in Ericeira, Finals Day was a marathon, starting with the remaining heats of the men’s Round of 32, before running through the women’s and men’s Quarterfinals to Finals.
It was a tense start to the day with fog greeting the competitors, but it soon lifted and revealed clean and fun three-to-four foot waves that kept pumping throughout the day. Stakes were at an all-time high at the penultimate Challenger Series of the season, with organisers forced to run four-person heats all the way to Finals in order to complete the competition.
Crosby Colapinto Shows CT Form, Victorious In Portugal
Trying to enjoy the process and not overthink it, CTer Crosby Colapinto (USA) has been doubling down in Portugal in the hunt to get back to the elite level after missing the postseason cut. Finding his rhythm and winning heats with a two-wave total, Colapinto’s wave choices and heat strategy was key to booking his ticket to the Final alongside Joel Vaughan (AUS), Alonso Correa (PER) and Justin Becret (FRA). Falling off the tour was a tough blow for the Californian, but his CT-calibre performances in Portugal paved the way for an incredible victory.
“It feels so good,” said Colapinto. “Just a month ago I fell off tour and I was so devastated. The year has been so hard, because it feels like I’ve been putting in so much effort and I haven’t been getting any return. Now that I’m standing here, it all makes sense. I haven’t won an event in so long. Going through all those hard times, it just shows that I can do anything if I put my mind to it.”
Finding an excellent 8.00 (out of a possible 10) for massive turns on his forehand into the pocket, with slight tweaks for every maneuver, Colapinto won with a 14.10 (out of a possible 20) total to take the win over Vaughan. This result catapulted him up to No. 3 on the rankings, and suddenly things look a lot different.
“My coach Tommy told me we’re going to Portugal, and you’re going to baffle people. To win with my brother Griffin and Cole (Houshmand) on the beach was just so special. I’m just so happy and really grateful to be here. I really enjoyed the day.”
Joel Vaughan Gets Qualification Campaign Back On Track
Making some moves on the rankings to get back to the elite level, CTer Joel Vaughan (AUS) stayed cool and composed to put himself in the best position possible at the penultimate stop, booking his first-ever Challenger Series final. The 23-year-old from North Shelly quietly dismantled the waves with incredible technicality and variety in his maneuvers, but struggled to find better scoring opportunities in the Final and had to settle for runner-up.
Earlier in the Semifinals, Vaughan and Alonso Correa (PER) knocked out the event’s top performers in Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) and Edgard Groggia (BRA), moving into the top ten on the rankings.
Brisa Hennessy Turns Season Around With Crucial Win
The women’s Final was a stacked affair, featuring CTers Brisa Hennessy (CRC), Vahine Fierro (FRA), and Australian phenom Sierra Kerr (AUS) and rising star Lucy Darragh (AUS). After not making the postseason cut, Hennessy and Fierro are fighting to get back on the CT for 2027, and they showed their surfing belongs with the best in the world after a long week in Portugal. Hennessy was lapping up the bigger conditions, pushing hard and was rewarded with her best result of the season, jumping up to No. 4 on the rankings.
“This year has been a lot,” said Hennessy. “I’ve had to face some really hard moments, and I had to dive deep into how much I really want this. That’s the reoccurring question. When you’re at the bottom, you have to find that self-belief, and I think I found it at this event, I’m so grateful.”
It was a slow start to the Final, with a few mid-range scores, but when a big set rolled through it was Costa Rica’s Hennessy who was in the right spot at the right time. Pacing down the line, she found a great section for a huge hit into the lip and earned a 7.50 to change the whole momentum of the heat. Hennessy improved her score with a 5.67 for a combination of powerful forehand carves, taking out a crucial win to turn her season around.
Rising Star Lucy Darragh Finds Her Rhythm, Earns Career-Best Result
Australia’s youngest Challenger Series qualifier, Lucy Darragh (AUS) has found her groove in Portugal, announcing herself to the rest of the field with a dominating performance on Finals Day. Darragh dispatched some of the top contenders along the way, and she approached the Final with a smart strategy to stay busy and build on a score. She finished runner-up to Hennessy, earning a career-best result in her first Challenger Series final.
“I’ve barely made a heat in the first three events of the year,” said Darragh. “Getting to the Finals here really means a lot to me. It feels so nice to finally show a bit of my surfing. All the heats have been so stacked, all the surfers are just so good.”
Sierra Kerr Qualifies For The 2027 Championship Tour
Australia’s 2023 World Junior Champion and current Challenger Series rankings leader, Sierra Kerr (AUS) has officially qualified for the 2027 Championship Tour. The 19-year-old Kerr adds her name to a historic list of CTers hailing from Coolangatta, Queensland including former World Champions Joel Parkinson, Mick Fanning and Stephanie Gilmore. After overcoming serious health issues, Kerr has been enjoying her most successful season on the Challenger Series including her first-ever win at the US Open of Surfing, as well as a win at the Pantin Classic Galicia Pro Qualifying Series (QS), 6,000 International. Supported by her father, former pro surfer Josh Kerr, she’ll represent the family name with pride on the women’s elite level.
“That’s crazy, I have no words,” said Kerr. “I didn’t know what I needed since they changed it to the four-person format. When I saw all my mates on the beach and my Dad gave me the thumbs up, I knew that I made it. I’m stoked. I don’t even know what I’m feeling right now. If you told me a year ago that I would be the first person to qualify for the women? I have no words. It’s been hard, I’m just so grateful. It just shows you can get through really hard things and still come through on the other side even better than when you went into it.”
Competitors now have a long break to reset and refocus before the fifth and final stop on the Challenger Series, the Newcastle Surfest from March 1-7, 2027.