Liquid Force’s Soven Brothers Take Elizabethtown Tour Stop!!

Elizabethtown, Ky. – The top pro wakeboarders from throughout the globe hit the waters of Freeman Lake Park today for the final rounds of action at the MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour stop in Elizabethtown, Ky. Riders competed through a series of elimination rounds today, vying for a huge cash purse and points toward the tour standings.

The pros were first off the dock this morning for their quarterfinal round, where 20 riders battled it out on the water in five heats of four for spot in the semifinals. The competition was soon cut in half, as only the top two riders from each heat advanced, setting up the ten-man semifinal.

In the semifinals, all ten pros were looking to make an impact on the water to earn one of four spots in the final round. Riders didn’t hold anything back in the semis, especially rookie phenom Harley Clifford, who laid down an impressive run featuring 17 different tricks. With that run, Clifford won his heat to advance on to the finals, along with defending Pro Tour champ Phillip Soven, current Pro Tour points-leader Aaron Rathy and former Australian Pro Tour champ Dean Smith.

All four finalists went for broke to win the contest, including Aaron Rathy, who attempted a 1080, but was unable to stick the landing. Rathy’s run earned him a third-place finish, with Phillip Soven taking the win and young gun Harley Clifford finishing in second.

“I’m happy with the way I rode today and it feels really good to come out with a win after not being on the podium for a while,” said Soven. “A win is always a good way to go in the next the stop, so now I’m really looking forward to Reno.”

Although Dean Smith finished the finals in fourth place, he didn’t ride away empty handed, as former Australian Pro Tour champ claimed the ROCKSTAR Best Trick Award for his Nose Grab Crow 540 off of the U.S. Air Force kicker. The Award is a $1,000 cash prize.

With the Elizabethtown tour stop in the books, rookie Harley Clifford now takes the lead in the standings over the previous points-leader Aaron Rathy, who now sits in second.

In the Jr. Pro Men division, ten amateur rippers battled it out on the water today in the semifinal round, competing in two heats of five for a spot in the finals. Only the top two riders from each heat advanced past the semifinal round, sending Steel Lafferty, Bob Soven, Daniel Powers and Aussie Mitch Langfield to the Jr. Pro Men finals.

All four finalists threw down some serious runs in last round of action, but ultimately top-seed Bob Soven came out on top, with Langfield and Powers rounding out the contest podium, respectively. Today’s win marks Soven’s fourth of the season, increasing his chances of sweeping the five-stop tour, when it wraps-up in Sparks/Reno, Nev. in August. Should Soven win in Nevada, he will become the first rider in the Jr. Pro Men division ever to sweep the tour.

“I’m stoked, I just took my fourth straight win of the season and I couldn’t be happier with the way I rode today,” said Soven. “Its cool that my brother and I both won and hopefully we can do it again in Reno.”

Following Elizabethtown, the MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour will now head to Sparks/Reno, Nev., August 14-16, for the fifth and final stop of the season. Additional venues for the 2009 Pro Tour, includes Fort Worth, Tex., Pleasant Prairie, Wis. and Knoxville, Tenn.

For results, standings, photos, videos, athlete bios and more, please visit www.allisports.com.