Montevallo’s Lead Grows as Team Seeks to Win Third-Straight Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia
Auburn University holds tight in 2nd, extending margin between 3rd place Adrian College
SAN ANTONIO, TX (April 19, 2023) – With only one month remaining in the race for 2022-23 Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia, the University of Montevallo has grown its lead. The 2023 School of the Year title will be awarded following the conclusion of Day 2 weigh-in at the triple points, nationally televised BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops on Lake Hartwell in May, in addition all of the schools that have finished the season in the Top 25 will be announced then.
The past few weeks in college fishing have been extremely busy as multiple major double points events were contested, along with numerous School-Run events and BASS State Qualifiers. Two-time defending title winner University of Montevallo made the most of the opportunities on the schedule by finishing high at several of these events to extend their lead in the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia. Auburn University and Adrian College both remained in second and third respectively.
Follow this link to view the complete updated rankings.
This season, the University of Montevallo is looking to make history in collegiate bass fishing and the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia. No school has ever won this title three times, let alone do so in three straight seasons. Montevallo helped its chase for a three-peat by placing two teams high up in the final standings at each of the two major double points events they’ve competed in since the last points update.
This upcoming weekend will be key in determining the rankings for the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia before the season ending ACA Championship. Both the ACA and BASS will be hosting major double points college tournaments. There is a potential for schools to earn 4,000-5,000 points combined from these two events this weekend. This means that there could be a huge shakeup in the standings, with the potential for teams to make major moves up or down in the National Rankings based on their performance.
The ACA will be contesting the no-entry-fee, double points Pickwick Slam presented by Evolution Fishing at Pickwick Lake in Florence, AL on April 22nd-23rd. Approximately 230 teams have registered for this nationally televised event that will pay out over $20,000 in prizes & contingencies, as well as award the Top 10 in the final standings with automatic qualification into the 2023 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops at Lake Hartwell. All 10 of the Top 10 teams in the rankings are set to compete at Pickwick Lake, along with 20 of the Top 25.
Taking a quick look at how Montevalo has built its lead; at the MLF College event on Lake of the Ozarks, Montevallo’s two highest-finishing teams placed 6th and 17th. Nicholas Dumke & Easton Fothergill finished in 6th, and Logan Plueger & Charlie Wright took 17th. Those two Top 20 finishes netted Montevallo a total of 2,290 points.
The next major double points event was at Cherokee Lake for the Bassmaster College Series. A pair of Montevallo anglers won the one-day weather shortened event with a five bass limit weighing 17 pounds 4 ounces. The victory by Peyton Harris & Dalton Head earned the team 1,250 points. Combined with the fourth-place finish by Charlie Wright & Logan Plueger, Montevallo earned 2,470 points at the Cherokee Lake event. That total marks the most points earned by any one school competing in that Bassmaster College Series tournament.
With just over one month remaining, the University of Montevallo holds a 3,165-point leader over second ranked Auburn University in the race for Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia, which could be overcome with the three major events left to be contested in the next 30 days.
Here is a look at some of the other significant movers inside of the Top 25 for this update to the rankings for teams that moved up based on top finishes recently:
8) University of North Alabama – Previously Ranked 9th
10) Drury University – Previously Ranked 13th
16) Wabash Valley College – Previously Ranked 20th
21) Louisiana State University-Shreveport – Previously Ranked 25th
Missouri State University was the only team to move up in to the Top 25 during this points update. The team from Springfield, MO moved up seven places from 29th to 22nd.
Following the completion of these two events this weekend, the ACA will update the points standings for the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.
