Montevallo Marks Monumental Weekend With Two Major Victories To Extend Lead In National Rankings
Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia enters final weeks with Montevallo in 1st, Auburn 2nd, and Adrian College in 3rd
SAN ANTONIO, TX (April 28, 2023) – Last weekend marked one of the most crucial stretches of the college fishing season in the race for Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia. There were several major collegiate fishing events being contested that weekend. Those events would likely set up who, if anyone, would be in striking distance of Montevallo during the last remaining major event of the year at the end of May, the season ending BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops.
The Association of Collegiate Anglers’ Pickwick Slam presented by Evolution Fishing fielded 203 boats, and the Bassmaster College Series event at the James River saw 194 teams in action. Over the course of three days, close to 400 teams comprised of 800 anglers competed for double points that will prove to be very pivotal in defining the Top 25 ranked teams in all of collegiate bass fishing.
View the latest updated rankings.
Number one ranked University of Montevallo enters the final few weeks of the season chasing college bass fishing history, as they look to become the first school ever to win the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia three times, and in three straight seasons. The back-to-back defending title winners bolstered their lead over second place Auburn by winning both major double points events, as they amassed 5,940 points combined from the two tournaments.
At the Pickwick Slam presented by Evolution Fishing, all of the Top 10 ranked teams entering the event were on hand to compete in what was a stacked field of anglers. The field also included 20 of the Top 25 ranked teams in the nation. Charlie Wright & Logan Plueger bested the elite field of more than 400 anglers to take the victory and earn 1,750 points. Their fellow teammates Parker O’Bryan and Miller Dowling claimed Montevallo’s second highest-finishing spot by placing in third. Montevallo earned 3,480 points out of a maximum of 3,490 that one individual school could earn at Pickwick Lake, the most of any school competing in the ACA double points event.
Over 700 miles away, in Virginia, the Bassmaster College Series contested a two-day, double points event on the James River. Montevallo anglers James Willoughby & Jacob Pfundt won the tournament with a two-day total of 40 pounds 9 ounces. Another duo of Montevallo anglers finished in fifth with 35 pounds 4 ounces. Easton Fothergill & Nick Dumke’s fifth place finish secured Montevallo two finishes in the Top 5 at the James River. Those two top finishes netted the number one team in the National Rankings an additional 2,460 points.
In this points update, Montevallo extended its lead over second ranked Auburn by nearly 500 points to a total margin of 3,645 points.
Here is a look at several other teams that made significant moves in the latest standings update for the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia:
9) Blue Mountain Christian University – Previously Ranked 11th
12) Tarleton State University – Previously Ranked 15th
14) Bethel University – Previously Ranked 18th
21) Lander University – Previously Ranked 24th
Georgia College was the lone team to move inside of the Top 25 during this update, proving just how hard it is to be ranked in the Top 25 in the nation. The team from Milledgeville, GA moved up two spots from 27th to 25th.
Less than one month remains in the race for Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia. At the conclusion of the triple points BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, SC, the ACA will crown the number one team and announce the Top 25 ranked teams for this season.
Following a competitive weekend where close to 400 teams representing roughly 60 different schools competed across the country, the rankings are continuing to tighten. However, each of the Top 3 teams did manage to extend the margin between themselves and the team trailing behind in that next spot. With the ACA National Championship on the horizon, each event will be crucial in defining the rankings for the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.
