Four years of early mornings, rough Atlantic surf, and near-misses had led to this moment. As the horn sounded later that day, Hertz stood atop the leaderboard as the 2026 East Coast Regional College Women’s Champion, finally claiming the title that had narrowly escaped her throughout her collegiate career.
“It was probably the most meaningful win I’ve had yet,” Hertz said. “Not only was it one of the biggest wins of my career, but it was also my fourth and final time competing in that event. I had come so close to winning every year but never took the title until this year.”
For Hertz, the victory represented far more than a championship. It was the culmination of years spent competing through freezing temperatures, inconsistent East Coast surf, and the balancing act of life as a student-athlete and entrepreneur at Flagler College.
“It felt like all of the times I showed up to contests with terrible conditions or the freezing cold days we’d have to compete in finally paid off,” she said. “For it to happen my last year was just the cherry on top.”
But Hertz’s legacy at Flagler stretches far beyond the final standings posted that day on New Smyrna Beach.
During her four years at the College, the Business Administration major helped transform the Surf Club from a small student organization into a nationally competitive program while helping establish a culture centered around competition, community, and a shared respect for the ocean. Along the way, she balanced life as a sponsored athlete, student leader, entrepreneur, and full-time student.
Long before leading surf trips or competing for collegiate titles, Hertz was a 12-year-old in Wilmington, North Carolina trying to keep up with her brothers in the water.
“My brothers really wanted to learn to surf, and I’m very competitive with my brothers, so I simply joined them,” she said.
At the time, Hertz’s primary focus was gymnastics. A former junior Olympic gymnast, she spent years training before injuries forced her to step away from the sport at age 14. Surfing quickly filled the void. Supported by her family and local surf community, Hertz immersed herself in the sport and soon found herself winning competitions.
“At that point there was no going back and I was completely in love with surfing,” she said.
That passion eventually followed her to St. Augustine, where she found both a college and a coastline that allowed her to continue competing while helping shape the next chapter of collegiate surfing at Flagler.
“The Flagler Surf Club is a student organization that brings together surfers of all levels,” Hertz said. “It gives students the opportunity to compete, improve their skills, and be part of a strong community.”
Under Hertz’s leadership as club president, the organization evolved into something far more structured and competitive. The Surf Club became the College’s first official sports club and began earning national attention through strong performances at collegiate competitions. Over the past two years, the team has traveled to California to compete at the national level and plans to return this summer in pursuit of a national title.
Hertz said one of her biggest goals as a leader was changing the perception of collegiate surfing on campus and creating an environment where members pushed each other to improve both in and out of the water.
“What I’m most proud of is helping transform the Surf Club into a more structured, competitive, and community-driven organization,” Hertz said. “When I stepped into leadership, my goal was to build something that people recognized as a real sport and were proud to be part of.”
Her impact on the program also earned her one of the College’s highest student honors. Hertz was selected to receive the President’s Award for Leadership for the Class of 2026, an award recognizing students whose leadership has made a lasting impact on the Flagler community. In announcing the award, College leadership cited her work transforming the Surf Club into a nationally competitive and publicly respected program, elevating team performance, securing consistent College funding, and strengthening Flagler’s longstanding connection to surfing culture.
That mentality helped establish a stronger identity for the club, particularly on the East Coast where collegiate surfing often lacks the visibility and recognition seen in places like California. Despite the sport’s growing popularity, East Coast surfers frequently train in inconsistent conditions, colder water, and unpredictable surf, forcing competitors to adapt constantly.
The growth of the club also mirrored Hertz’s own evolution as a surfer and student. Competitive surfing, she explained, requires a level of discipline many people never see from the beach.
“Surfing is a very individual sport,” she said. “I don’t have anyone to give me a set practice or workout schedule all the time. It’s up to me to keep myself on track.”
At Flagler, those lessons in discipline extended beyond the water and into her studies. While competing as a sponsored athlete and leading the Surf Club, Hertz also launched Stella Maris Digital Marketing, a business focused on helping brands grow through digital media strategies. Her experience of balancing athletics, academics, and entrepreneurship became deeply intertwined with what she learned inside the classroom.
Balancing those responsibilities often required Hertz to move seamlessly between entirely different worlds, from early morning surf sessions and weekend competitions to classes, club leadership responsibilities, and client work for her business. Through it all, she said the experience taught her how to remain disciplined and focused even when the schedule became overwhelming.
“I’ve learned how capable I am when I stay disciplined and focused on my goals,” she said. “The professors at Flagler are always willing to help and frequently check on me. The small classes and close-knit Flagler community has been so vital in my success.”
That sense of community is also what Hertz believes makes surfing at Flagler unique. Located just minutes from the coast and within driving distance of some of Florida’s best surf breaks, the College has increasingly become a destination for talented surfers looking to compete at a high level while remaining connected to the culture surrounding the sport.
“Florida is known as the surfing hub of the East Coast, and Flagler is right in the middle of it,” Hertz said. “We’re starting to gain recognition as a force to be reckoned with.”
Even after graduation, Hertz is not planning to leave the community she helped build. She plans to continue growing Stella Maris Digital Marketing while pursuing opportunities in both the surf and marketing industries and continuing her own competitive surfing career.
More than anything, though, she plans to stay rooted in St. Augustine, the place that became home somewhere between dawn surf sessions, road trips to competitions, and years spent helping grow a once-small club into a thriving community.
“I fell in love with St. Augustine and the community here,” Hertz said. “The good thing about Flagler and St. Augustine is that the community is always there for me and the connections I’ve made won’t go away. This feels like home now.”
And while Hertz’s collegiate career may have ended with a championship trophy in hand, the culture she helped build at Flagler will continue long after her final heat. Before sunrise, surfers will still load boards into cars and head toward the Atlantic, carrying forward the competitive and community-driven foundation she helped create.
