When Kaleigh Gilchrist went to Salt Creek on Monday she aimed for a rare feat: to become a national champion in two sports in the same year.
As the waves crashed, and she mastered each set to reach the National Scholastic Surfing Assn. finals she grew excited to reach her goal.
She scored a 7.5 in her first set in the finals. She said she wanted a good score as a back-up. She went out with a bang. She scored a 9.4 to "seal the deal," she said Tuesday.
Gilchrist, a former Newport Harbor High standout who won an NCAA title with the USC women's water polo team last month, captured the NSSA college women's championship.
"I wanted to prove myself, that I can perform well in two sports," Gilchrist said during a telephone interview just before driving to Los Angeles to train with the USC Trojans. "I did really well in prior years [at the NSSA Championships], second [in 2011] and fifth [in 2012]. I told myself that I wanted to win this one. I came in wanting to win. I knew it would pretty cool to say that I was a national champion in two sports."