Montevallo Bass Fishing Team Closes in on First-Ever National School of Year Title
Back-to-back winner McKendree sits firmly in 2nd, Murray State leads tight race for 3rd overall in the national rankings
SAN ANTONIO, TX (May 21, 2021) – The race for the 2020-21 Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia is nearing a historic conclusion as only one more event remains on the schedule. A winner will be crowned in this year-long race to be the nation’s number one ranked team following the conclusion of the BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops at Lake Murray next Thursday. The University of Montevallo is riding a seven-month stretch as the number one ranked team in the nation thanks to top finishes all over the nation this season. So far, they’ve amassed 16,965 points, more than 1,100 points ahead of second-place McKendree University, which is on a quest to win its third-straight School of the Year title. Sitting in third place is perennial fishing powerhouse Murray State with 14,440 points.
Here is a look at the current Top 25 in the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia:
The University of Montevallo has put together one of the most dominant stretches of the tournament bass fishing rankings ever seen in the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia. Montevallo took command of the number one ranking back in November of 2020 and has not relinquished that spot since. Recent college events saw the duo of Brenton Godwin and Hunter Odom contribute to Montevallo’s chase for the team’s first-ever School of the Year title last weekend by finishing sixth place overall at the Bassmaster College Series event on Smith Lake in Alabama. That Top 10 finish earned the leaders 725 points and boosted their season total to 16,965 points. Montevallo sits comfortably ahead of the rest of the field entering the final event with a 1,120-point lead over their nearest competitor, McKendree University.
McKendree University started the 2020-21 season hoping to accomplish a feat that has never been done in the history of the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia. Following back-to-back School of the Year titles in 2019 and 2020, the Bearcats Bass Team was looking to win its third-straight title. In 2020, McKendree became just the second team ever to win the School of the Year title in consecutive years. The University of North Alabama is the only other team to reach this rarified air.
McKendree is not mathematically eliminated from having a chance to accomplish their season’s goal. The winners of the 2021 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops will earn 1,500 points for their respective school. Point increments inside of the Top 25 will decrease by 20, meaning the maximum amount of points a team can earn with a first and second-place finish is 2,980. For McKendree to have a shot at the title, Montevallo would need to earn less than 1,860 points and McKendree would then have to finish first and second overall. Essentially, one Top 10 finish by a Montevallo pairing would just about guarantee they leave Lake Murray with the 2020-21 School of the Year trophy.
Another battle to keep an eye on will be the race for third place overall in the national rankings. Murray State University currently holds tight to the third spot with 14,440 points. However, two teams linger close behind within less than 500 points of striking distance. Both Adrian College and Carson-Newman University have a very strong chance at cracking the top three in the School of the Year rankings depending on how things shake out next week.
Camera crew staff will begin day one coverage at the BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops with the teams ranked in the top three of the School of the Year rankings. Keep up with all of the action each day by following blog updates on the website, additional posts on social media, and live weigh-in coverage on the Outdoor Action TV app.
