SAN CLEMENTE, CA (September 15, 2026)—Team USA Surfing finished the 2026 Surf City El Salvador ISA World Junior Surfing Championship with a silver medal in the team competition, capping nine days of competition among the world’s best junior surfers at the world-class breaks of La Bocana and El Sunzal.
The result was highlighted by a World Junior Championship title for 17-year-old Jett Maughan of Encinitas, California, in the Under 18 Boys division and a silver medal for 15-year-old Zoë Panettiere of San Diego, California, in the Under 16 Girls division. Six Team USA surfers finished among the individual top 10, underscoring the depth of a team that competed through every stage of the championship.
For nine of the 12 USA athletes, including Maughan and Panettiere, the 2026 championship marked their World Junior debut on the international stage in El Salvador.
The experience proved to be a significant one for a young USA Surfing squad, which quickly adapted to the powerful waves, international pressure, and unique team format of the ISA World Junior Championship.
Australia claimed the team gold, with the United States earning silver, Brazil bronze and Peru copper. The championship brought together 420 surfers from 56 national teams, making it one of the largest fields in the history of the ISA World Junior Surfing Championship.
Team USA opened the championship with a meaningful reminder of home, as team captains Maddie Stanton and Dane Libby led the team in the traditional ISA Sands of the World ceremony, bringing sand from Lower Trestles. The sand from Lower Trestles, USA Surfing’s backyard and the site of the LA28 Olympic Games, connected this generation of junior surfers directly to the future of Olympic surfing on home soil.
At 17, Jett Maughan delivered the defining individual performance of the championship, becoming the 2026 ISA Under 18 Boys World Junior Champion in his first appearance at the World Junior Surfing Championship.
Maughan produced some of the highest scores of the event on his way to the final, including an excellent 9.00 in the semifinals for a powerful backhand air reverse. In the final, he held off two strong Australian finalists to claim the gold medal.
The victory marks the first World Junior title of Maughan’s career. At just 17, he will have the opportunity to return to the ISA World Junior Championship next year to defend his Under 18 Boys world title.
Coming out of Encinitas, CA, Maughan is a senior at San Dieguito Academy and surfs out of Seaside Reef. He has competed internationally in Hawaii, Mexico, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Australia, building experience in a wide range of waves and competitive environments.
Zoë Panettiere, 15, of San Diego, added another major result for Team USA with a silver medal in the Under 16 Girls division in her first ISA World Junior Championship.
The 2024 USA Surfing Champion advanced through a deep international field and remained a key part of Team USA’s push for the team title through the final days of competition. Panettiere reached the championship final at La Bocana, ultimately earning the silver medal.
For Panettiere and the majority of the Team USA roster, El Salvador represented a first opportunity to experience the scale, pressure and intensity of an ISA World Junior Championship. This experience will help shape the next generation of American surfers as they progress toward future international and Olympic competition.
National Team Head Coach Ryan Simmons said the team’s preparation began well before the first heat, with equipment selection and wave knowledge critical to competing in the powerful and technically demanding El Sunzal and La Bocana lineups.
Once the team arrived in El Salvador, however, the focus shifted toward creating an environment where every surfer felt supported.
Ryan Simmons, National Team Head Coach, said, “Going into this ISA, our main focus was having the right equipment for the waves of El Sunzal and La Bocana. Once on the ground the focus shifted to mutual support and to instill a feeling of gratitude and belonging.
Our surfers then had the ability to surf at their highest levels with many many of our surfers delivering ‘heats of their lives’ during this highest stage event. The team surfed free and loose and reveled in the epic conditions of El Salvador. We brought air game, rail game and intense heat savvy. I couldn’t be more proud of the effort from start to finish.”
The team’s silver-medal finish reflected contributions across the entire roster, with athletes advancing deep into their respective divisions and delivering critical team points throughout the competition.
Under 18 Boys
Jett Maughan — Encinitas, CA
Dane Libby — Encinitas, CA
Ian Honda — Del Ray Beach, FL
Under 18 Girls
Maddie Stanton — Encinitas, CA
Olivia Storrer — Huntington Beach, CA
Victoria Duprat — Encinitas, CA
Under 16 Boys
Sebastian Peters — Melbourne Beach, FL
Wyatt Yount — Huntington Beach, CA
Bryce Seshun — Carlsbad, CA
Under 16 Girls
Zoë Panettiere — San Diego, CA
Lola Fleming — San Clemente, CA
Marlynn Glaub — Palm Beach, FL
The results in El Salvador were made possible by a group of coaches, medical staff, leadership, families and supporters who worked throughout the championship to give the athletes the best possible environment to compete.
“USA Surfing’s high-performance preparation for our ISA World Junior Team focused on optimizing athlete performance, health, safety, and wellbeing, while creating a positive environment where athletes and staff could thrive,” said Tracy Axel, Director of High Performance, USA Surfing. “Building a strong staff unit grounded in trust, transparency, and proactive communication allowed us to implement cohesive strategies for across athlete support. This collaborative approach resulted in a healthy, prepared, and connected team environment that set our athletes up for success. We are truly grateful for our team-behind-the-team that helped lead to this monumental success.”
Tracy Axel — Director of High Performance / Team Leader
Ryan Simmons — National Team Head Coach
Morgan O’Connell — Junior National Team Coach
Warren Flautt, DPT — Trainer / Physio
Tracy Ferrone, DPT — Trainer / Physio
Dr. Lenny Wiersma — Mental Performance Coach
Anna Michaud — Sports Medicine Operations
Dr. Warren Kramer — Team Physician
Dr. Jeremiah Ray — Chief Medical Officer
Greg Hulsizer — CEO
USA Surfing extends its deepest thanks to the parents and families who supported not only their own athletes, but the entire team throughout the championship. From preparation and travel to early mornings, long competition days, emotional heats and celebrations on the beach, their love, sacrifice and unwavering support are an essential part of the team’s success.
Thank you to the partners and countless donors backing the next generation of American surfing including, Resin Services, Kamaka Responsible Development, dryrobe, KHOMBU and Sex Wax.
USA Surfing also extends its gratitude to the International Surfing Association (ISA) and Surf City El Salvador for hosting an outstanding championship and providing a world-class stage for the next generation of surfers.
The ISA World Junior Surfing Championship remains one of the most important international development stages in the sport. Of the 71 surfers who have competed at the Olympic Games, 62 previously participated in the World Junior Surfing Championship, demonstrating the event’s importance as a pathway toward the Olympic stage.
For USA Surfing, that pathway carries even greater significance with surfing set to return to the Olympic stage at LA28, with competition scheduled for Lower Trestles. Lower Trestles is where many of these junior athletes have trained and competed throughout their junior careers. USA Surfing is based in San Clemente, California, just minutes from Lower Trestles.
The 2026 team’s journey from Lower Trestles to El Salvador offered a glimpse of that future. Team USA Surfing returns home with a silver medal, two individual World Junior Championship medals and a young roster that gained invaluable experience on the international stage.
More than a medal. This is Team USA Surfing.
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