3rd Place – Adrian College
SAN ANTONIO, TX (5/20/2020) – The next team to be highlighted in the Top 25 for the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia is 3rd place Adrian College. During the 2019-2020 season, the Bulldogs from Michigan have earned a total of 10,685 points. This 2020 campaign has been a great year for the team, following a 3rd place finish last season.
“As a coach, it means a great deal when your team has performed well enough to consistently stay inside the Top 25,” said Assistant Coach Caleb Taylor. Not only has Adrian worked hard to be in the Top 25, but they also held the top spot in the rankings for roughly half of the season. This can be credited to determination and hard work from the team’s members. “It means the world to me to be apart of such an elite group of fishermen and have the opportunity to be ranked within the Top 25 best collegiate teams in the nation,” said Griffin Fernandes, Adrian College team member. “We work day in and day out to make sure we find success both on and off the water, and to be able to find that success with such a great group of guys I consider my best friends means the world to me.”
“We’re always thankful to be in this type of spot, but with years past we are still hungry for a win and not just being in the Top 25. It is no easy task, but we wouldn’t want it any other way,” added Taylor. The Adrian College fishing team entered the first ACA event of the year with this exact mindset. They were in 1st place at the time, and their goal was to maintain and/or grow said lead. Hunter Schneider helped the team accomplish that goal when he weighed in a five-plus pound bass on Day 2 to take home 1st place overall. Combined with another solid finish from a fellow team member, Adrian College earned 1,850 points at the 2019 Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley on Kentucky Lake.
With the 2020 season set to end at Pickwick Lake for the 2020 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops, Adrian College is eager to get back to fishing and competing for two coveted titles. “I’m looking most forward to getting back on the water and competing again at the 2020 National Championship,” Griffin explained. “I can’t wait to get back in the tournament mode with my team and travel down to Pickwick to compete for the National Championship title, and trying to move further up the School of the Year race and hopefully even take home the title of School of the Year.”
Adrian College currently sits 1,780 points behind the reigning School of the Year winners, McKendree University. With double points on the line, Adrian College has the opportunity to earn as many as 2,980 points at Pickwick Lake for the Championship. Mathematically, this means the Bulldogs have a chance. If they are able to outscore McKendree by approximately 1,200 points, and hold off would-be contenders, the title could be all theirs. “Going down to Pickwick, I’m just excited for our guys to be able to fish again. Now they have a shot to go out there and possibly make their return to competition a real memory on Pickwick chasing the SOY title,” said Taylor.
