ACA Releases First Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia Update of the 2019-2020 Season

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The Association of Collegiate Anglers (ACA) is excited to announce the first standings for the 2019-2020 Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.  Exactly one month ago, McKendree University was crowned the School of the Year for the 2018-2019 season.  Fast forward to now and the next season is well underway.  A total of four School of the Year qualifying events have been contested in this young season.  The team making the most of their opportunities and jumping to the number on spot in the standings, is Adrian College.

Adrian College is the only school to earn points at all four of the qualifying events.  With four quality finishes under their belt, Adrian College has earned a total of 2,540 points so far.  That gives them a more than 500-point lead over the second-place school in Penn State University.

Ryan Sharnas and Brandon Herzberg jump started Adrian’s season with a victory at the first major event of the year.  They won the FLW College Regional at Chesapeake Bay with a one-day total of 22 pounds and 11 ounces.  The win earned the team 750 points.  Just a few weeks later, Jarrett Martin & Nickolas Marsh made another big splash for the school from Michigan.  With a third-place finish at the FLW College Championship, they accrued a total of 980 points.

One of the keys to winning a yearlong race like the School of the Year is to take advantage of every chance to earn points and remain consistent.  Just last summer, Adrian College found themselves in an eerily similar situation.  They came out of the summer months positioned well and held onto the top spot for most of the fall.  Jack Hippe and Chase Serafin helped to grow Adrian College’s lead just last week at the St. Lawrence River for a Bassmaster College Series event.  The pair finished in second place and earned another 745 points.  This marks one of the strongest starts to a season in the history of the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.

Following behind in second place is Penn State University.  The school is beginning the season at the highest position in the standings in program history.  Lurking less than 200 points back of Penn State in third is a team that is very familiar to top five finishes.  Bethel University rounds out the top three with 1,715 points.  The Wildcats won the School of the Year back-to-back in 2017 and 2018.  During the 2019 season they finished in second.  Bethel will be looking to avenge that runner-up finish with a victory here in the 2019-2020 year.

Teams are wasting no time in hitting the trail and earning points for their school.  Here is a look at the Top 25 in the first update to the standings for the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia:

  1. Adrian College
  2. Penn State University
  3. Bethel University
  4. Sam Houston State University
  5. West Virginia University
  6. Auburn University
  7. Gannon University
  8. University of Montevallo
  9. University of Pittsburgh
  10. Clemson University
  11. Northeastern State University
  12. University of Alabama
  13. University of Massachusetts
  14. Grand Valley State University
  15. McKendree University
  16. University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
  17. Clarkson University
  18. University at Buffalo
  19. Western Michigan University
  20. Virginia Tech
  21. Ohio State University
  22. Texas A&M
  23. James Madison University
  24. SUNY-Cobleskill
  25. Bryan College

To view the complete standings, click here.