McKendree University bass fishing competed at this past weekend's BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing National Championships presented by Bass Pro Shops held here at both Pickwick and Wilson Lakes on the Tennessee River.
This year's 17th Annual event featured nearly 200 of the best teams in the country competing for not only a national championship, but also the coveted Bass Pro Shops School of the Year title presented by Abu Garcia.
At the two-day event, the Bearcat anglers had five teams place in the final standings as the team of senior Bailey Bleser (Burlington, Wis./Catholic Central) and sophomore Harmon Marien (Eagle River, Wis./Northland Pines) was the highest finishing McKendree teams as they placed 28th overall with a two-day total of 27.42 pounds.
"The team either struggled to find anything in practice or they found them in practice, but couldn't get to them in the tournament," McKendree bass fishing head coach Jon Rinderer said.
Rinderer said that the conditions at Pickwick and Wilson Lakes were very extreme as there were 35 mile-per-hour winds and a strong current in the opposite direction that caused waves in excess of six feet and those conditions made it tough for the anglers to make it back to the weigh-in.
"There were more late penalties than any other event in the last 10 years. Just getting back on time and not destroying their boats was a major success," the McKendree coach said.
Along with placing five teams in the final standings of the event, McKendree, who entered the National Championships ranked third in School of the Year standings, also finished third in the 2021-22 School of the Year Race and the team has now finished in the Top 3 for the fourth consecutive year. In 2019 and 2020, the Bearcats finished first, while they finished second in 2021 and third in 2022. The School of the Year title honors the teams that have the highest consistent finishes throughout the year.
"These guys worked extremely hard all year to be in position to bring home another Top 5 finish for the team. This week was no exception, they continued to grind it out both days to finish strong in the coveted School of the Year Race," Rinderer added.
Montevallo was the champion in the 2022-22 School of the Year Race presented by Abu Garcia as they bested runner-up Auburn by more than 1,000 points. Montevallo becomes just the third team to ever win the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia in consecutive seasons.
Senior Tyler Christy (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) and senior Trey Schroeder (Crestwood, Mo./Lindbergh) rebounded from multiple boat issues from day one to finish in a tie for 80th place with a total of 15.01 pounds.
Graduate student Joseph Bruener (Douglas, Texas/Douglas) and senior Alec Berens (Channahon, Ill./Minooka Community) struggled on day one, before improving on day two with a two-day total of 9.42 pounds to finish in 120th place.
Freshman Lane Stephens (Talala, Okla./Oologah) and sophomore Colsyn Head (Poland, Ind./Owen Valley) weighed in 6.29 pounds to finish in 132nd place overall for two days.
Freshman Jack Stephens (St. Louis, Mo./Lindbergh) and freshman Maxwell Trotter (Decatur, Ill./St. Teresa) caught one fish over two days that weighed 1.92 pounds, which put them a finish for 155th place.
The Bearcats will return to action on June 9-10 as they compete in the Strike King Bassmaster College Series Saginaw Bay in Bay City, Mich. The event will mark the first tournament in the 2022-23 School of the Year Race.
Original source can be found here.
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