Challenger Series surfers aspiring to make it to the big league could now be pitted against a number of CT surfers who have been announced as wildcards for the upcoming Pipe event. Barron Mamiya, Griffin Colapinto, Leonardo Fioravanti, Molly Picklum, Gabriela Bryan, Erin Brooks, Luana Silva and Isabella Nichols will all be looking to play spoiler as the second-tier of the WSL heads to the proving grounds for the first time.
The contest is already set to be an entertaining spectacle given the fact that the majority of surfers in the draw haven’t competed at Pipe before. The added caveat of some heavyweight wildcards only adds to the pressure some of the competitors will be feeling.
The Lexus Pipe Challenger waiting period runs from 29 January – 9 February. None of the men are yet to clinch their spot on the 2026 CT so far but rankings leader Eli Hanneman is within touching distance and will be brimming with confidence after recently winning the Florence Pipe Pro QS 2,000. On the women’s side, Tya Zebrowski and Yolanda Hopkins have already punched their tickets to next season’s CT.
The event is one of two which have been added to this season’s regular program. The final comp will see the CS return to Newcastle, Australia for the second time in a season, giving CT hopefuls two extra shots at making the cut.
Here’s a look at the surfers who are currently in position to qualify:
Men’s
- Eli Hanneman
- Samuel Pupo
- Oscar Berry
- Luke Thompson
- George Pittar
- Kauli Vaast
- Mateus Herdy
- Liam O’Brien
- Jacob Willcox
- Winter Vincent
Women’s
- Yolanda Hopkins (already qualified)
- Tya Zebrowski (already qualified)
- Sally Fizgibbons
- Francisca Veselko
- Nadia Erostarbe
- Annette Gonzalez Etxabarri
- India Robinson
