Teams Ranked 6th – 15th in the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia

San Antonio, TX (June 27, 2024) – Summer is here, the 2023-24 school year is complete, and the final event has been contested in the race for Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.  With the standings finalized, the Association of Collegiate Anglers is reviewing the final rankings for the year.  In this feature article, we will highlight teams that finished the season ranked 6^th – 15^th.

 Each school represented in this segment of the rankings was picked to be inside of the Top 25, per the ACA’s annual Pre-Season Poll. Teams ranked 6^th – 15^th were separated by less than 7,000 points, with 12^th – 15^th being 850 points apart.

6.LSU-Shreveport

7.Adrian College

8.Murray State University

9.Campbellsville University

10.Lander University

11.Bethel University

12.University of Tennessee

13.Dallas Baptist University

14.Wabash Valley College

15.Drury University

6)LSU-Shreveport

This rankings review starts off by featuring a team that achieved its program’s best-ever finish in the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.  LSU-Shreveport finished the 2023-24 season ranked 6^th, with 32,655 points.  Prior to this season, the team’s highest finish was 15^th (2022-23).  LSUS has now finished in the Top 25 for the National Rankings in three-straight seasons.  Picked 15^th in the Pre-Season Poll, LSUS exceeded its pre-season ranking by a total of nine places.  This is the largest margin of improvement from the start of the year through the end of the year by any team represented in this article highlighting those ranked 6^th – 15^th.

The 2023-24 season for LSUS was highlighted by success at multiple major events nationwide. Brayden Nichols & William Tew won the MLF College Series event at Sam Rayburn early in the fall.  Combined with their next highest-finishing team, that earned LSUS 2,300 points.  At Lake Dardanelle for the AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open, LSUS earned 3,200 points thanks to a 12^th place finish by Brayden Nichols & William Tew, and a 20^th from Bryant Martin & Luke Batts.  Other major successes included earning over 3,200 points at the MLF National Championship, and 6,295 points at the Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops.  Here were their Top 3 teams at Pickwick Lake:

5^th Place: William Tew & Brayden Nichols

29^th Place: Bryant Martin & Luke Batts

32^nd Place: Miles Smith & Levi Thibodeaux

7)Adrian College

Adrian College checks in at 7^th overall in the final rankings for the 2023-24 Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.  Over the past 10 or so years, the team from Michigan has cemented its place amongst the top college bass fishing programs in the country.  With a 7^th place finish this year, that makes for seven straight seasons in which Adrian College has ended the season ranked inside of the Top 10.  And in the years prior to that stretch starting, they were ranked inside of the Top 25 on a regular basis.  Their program’s best ever end-of-season ranking is 3^rd, and that is what they were chosen entering the season via the ACA’s Pre-Season Poll.

At the mid-way point of the year, Adrian College jumped out to a strong start for the spring swing by earning 3,840 points at the MLF National Championship in Florida.  Braylon Eggerding & Lucas Washburn won the event, and Gerald Brumbaugh & Mitchell Straffon took 9^th.  Adrian College earned the second most points of any team to compete at that tournament.

Later in the spring, Adrian College again placed two teams in the Top 10 at an event…this time at the Hartwell Slam.  Nick Owens & Quade Lobo finished in 3^rd, and Dalton Mollenkopf & Derek Rodriguez claimed 9^th.  Those two high finishes netted the team 3,400 points.  This too was the 2^nd highest points total earned by any one team at that event.

Competing at the final points eligible event of this season in their home state of Michigan, Adrian College had a great finish to the season.  They earned the most points out of any team on-hand for this double points Bassmaster College Series tournament.  Elliot Wielgopolski & Aaron Jagfeld were in 2^nd, and Hank Sturm & Matt Mosby finished in 10^th.  Those two top 10 finishes earned Adrian College 2,400 points.   That strong finish helped them to jump four places, from 11^th to 7^th, to round out the year.

8)Murray State University

The next team we’ll review is Murray State University.  Murray State qualified the second most number of boats (11) out of any school to compete at the Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops.  This speaks to the team’s success at ACA events in 2023-24, as additional top spots were earned via top finishes.  Murray State earned 16,215 points at ACA events last season.  Here is a look at those top finishes:

Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley: Top two finishes – 1^st  Harlan Thomas, 3^rd Braiden Koerber

AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open: Top two finishes – 2^nd Caden Crutchfield & Micah Sowders, 5^th  Archer Smith & Jackson Kulijof

Hartwell Slam: Top two finishes – 5^th Levi Kohl & Grant Meisenhelter, 10^th Adrian Urso & Corbin Templon

Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops: Top three finishes – 7^th Adrian Urso & Corbin Templon, 24^th Harlan Thomas & Caleb White, 65^th Caden Crutchfield & Sam Moll

Murray State University placed their two highest-finishing teams inside of the Top 10 at each ACA double points event.  Harlan Thomas had the best finish of them all, as he won the Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley at Kentucky Lake.

Murray State has a long history of success in the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.  Over the course of the past 10 years, Murray State has only finished outside of the Top 10 one time (13^th in 2021-22).  The team from Murray, KY was selected as 13^th in the Pre-Season Poll coming into this year.

9)Campbellsville University

Campbellsville University finishes the 2023-24 Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia ranked 9^th overall, with a season total of 31,700 points.  Campbellsville has finished in the Top 20 at the end of the season for six straight years.  Their best finish ever in the only all-encompassing National Rankings system came in 2022-23, when they finished 7^th overall. Campbellsville was nominated as the 6^th best team coming into this past year, per the ACA Pre-Season Poll.

Campbellsville University competed in all four ACA major events during the 2023-24 season.  Across those four tournaments, they earned a total of 13,570 points.  Wyatt Pearman & Ridge Rutledge won the AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open, and Ryan Lachniet & Tavin Hodgens finished in 2^nd at the Hartwell Slam.

Campbellsville’s momentum was a wave that they rode throughout the entire season.  Carter Doren & Ryan Lachniet finished in 2^nd place at the MLF National Championship on Lake toho.

10)Lander University

Entering this season, Lander University was selected as 17^th in the ACA’s annual Pre-Season Poll.  Following the school’s best season in program history, Lander finished in 10^th overall for the 2023-24 Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.  Lander ended the season with a total of 30,525 points.  Lander’s historic season was bolstered by several major tournament victories throughout the year:

MLF College Series at Lake Hartwell: 1^st Place – Kaleb Brown & Cole Moulton

Bassmaster College Series at Clarks Hill: 1^st Place – Anderson Jones

Lander University started the 2023-24 race in 1^st place when the first rankings were revealed early last fall.  This was the highest-ever in-season ranking achieved by the program from Greenwood, SC.

Prior to this season, Lander University’s highest-ever finish in the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia was 19^th (2022-23). The team earned a total of 5,630 points at the ACA’s triple points Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops.  Anderson Jones claimed Garmin Tournament Rewards and placed 6^th overall, the highest of any of his fellow teammates.

11)Bethel University

The next team to be featured in this rankings review is Bethel University.  Bethel finishes the year ranked 11^th, with 30,405 points.  Bethel edged out 12^th place by close to 4,000 points.  That is the largest gap between a team and its next closest competitor in this segment of the rankings.  Bethel University competed in all four ACA major events throughout the 2023-24 season, earning a total of 12,360 points.  Bethel University anglers started the season off strong, as the team’s highest finishing boat at the Bassmaster College Series Championship placed in 2^nd overall.  That was the pairing of Levi Mullins and Matthew Cummings.  Bethel University also had very strong showings at each of its three MLF regular-season double points tournaments.  Bethel’s lowest-finishing, points earning team across those three MLF events placed in 16^th.  Bethel University is the only past winner of the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia to be featured in this rankings review(2017-18.). Bethel’s lowest finish in the National Rankings over the past 10 years is 13^th.

12)University of Tennessee

The University of Tennessee was picked 19^th overall in the annual ACA Pre-Season Poll entering this past school year.  By earning a season total of 26,540 points, Tennessee finished the 2023-24 Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia ranked 12^th.  The team from Knoxville, TN got off to a hot start this season by earning 3,180 points at the Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley.  Tennessee’s top two anglers placed in 11^th (Austin Wadzinski) and 23^rd overall (Matthew Dettling).  One of Tennessee’s best individual showings came at the Bassmaster College Series event on Sam Rayburn.  Jackson Paden & Joey Bissing finished in 4^th place at that tournament. Tennessee’s highest-ever end-of-season ranking is 3rd, which came during the 2016-17 season.

13)Dallas Baptist University

Checking in at 13^th is Dallas Baptist University.  DBU earned a season total of 25,950 points at a total of 16 points earning events competed in.  2023-24 is the 8^th straight season in which DBU has finished inside of the Top 25 for the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia at the end of the year.  DBU has finished in the Top 10 multiple times, with the program’s best finish coming during the 2012-13 season, in which they finished 8^th overall.  DBU anglers earned over 2,500 points at each ACA double points event this season, along with team member Hunter Jenkins claiming Overall Big Bass and earning a new Power-Pole at the AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open.  Dallas Baptist University was selected as 16^th in the ACA Pre-Season Poll, and exceeded those expectations by three spots.

14)Wabash Valley College

Wabash Valley College finishes the 2023-24 season ranked 14^th in the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.  This 14^th place ranking ties for WVC’s highest-ever end-of-season ranking.  WVC also finished the 2021-22 season in 14^th.  This also makes for the 4^th straight season in which WVC has ended the year inside of the Top 20 for college fishing’s only al-encompassing National Rankings system.  WVC competed in all four ACA major events this past season, earning a total of 12,860 points. Close to half of their points came at ACA events.  For the season, WVC accumulated 25,870 points.   WVC finished the 2023-24 season strong at the triple points Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops.  Traveling from Mt. Carmel, IL to Florence, AL, WVC earned 5,470 points at Pickwick Lake.  Hunter Russell & Benny Blank placed 11^th overall out of the elite 200 boat field.

15)Drury University

Drury University is the final team to be highlighted in this rankings review for the 2023-24 Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.  The team from Springfield, MO finished the season ranked 15^th, with a total of 25,690 points.  The 2023-24 campaign marks the 5^th straight season in which Drury University has finished the year ranked inside of the Top 15.  Entering the 2023-24 season, Drury University was selected by coaches, anglers, and media members as the 11^th ranked team via the ACA Annual Pre-Season Poll.  Drury University earned close to 10,000 points at ACA events this past season.  One of the school’s best showings came at the AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open.  Drury University placed two teams in the Top 20 (8^th, 17^th) to earn a total of 3,270 points.  This was the 4^th most points earned out of the 52 schools to compete at Lake Dardanelle.  Here are three other key double points events that helped to propel Drury University to a 5^th straight Top 15 finish:

• MLF College Series at Sam Rayburn: 2,240 points – Top two finishes of 12^th Caleb Coleman & Cade Lipham, 16^thHunter Baird & Lee Lambrecht
• Bassmaster College Series at Clarks Hill: 2,270 points – Top two finishes of 9^th Clay Henderson & Brant Rowland, 16^thNathan Fideldy & Laindree Richardson
• Bassmaster College Series at Sam Rayburn: 2,420 points – Top two finishes of 2^nd Cade Lipham & Caleb Coleman, 8^thNathan Fideldy & Laindree Richardson