LEESBURG, Fla. — The Bryan College team of Cole Sands and Conner Dimauro opened the Bassmaster College National Championship tournament at the Harris Chain of Lakes with a 28-pound, 7-ounce bag to lead the field of 119 boats.
“We had a really blessed day,” Sands said. “It is Day 1 and you can’t win it on the first day, but we didn’t lose it. We had a really good bag and we will be in contention. We have to look forward to tomorrow and catch them then.
“Last year, we came in second in the National Championship and that stung. We are going to do everything in our power not to do that again.”
Their five-fish limit was anchored by a 7-5 largemouth, and the duo did not weigh in a fish that weighed less than 4 pounds.
“In practice, we did a whole lot of scanning. The last day we made like 10 or 15 casts total,” Dimauro said. “So, we really didn’t know what we were on, but we knew we found a bunch of fish.”
The duo started on their best spot in Lake Dora and caught all of their weight by 11:30 a.m. At that point, they left the area to practice other sections of the tournament waters. Sands added that they had even bigger fish on the hook throughout the day that never made it into the livewell.
“Believe it or not, we lost some really big fish and that cost us from having over 30 (pounds),” he said.
Dimauro is from Florida and has plenty of history on the Harris Chain, and that has helped the duo find some high-percentage areas. For this time of the year, Dimauro said he was surprised by how big of a bag they were able to catch.
“This place turns out bags like that day in and day out,” Dimauro said. “This place is a little tough right now. I feel like we did really well for today with the conditions. We saved a lot of fish hopefully.
“Being from here helps a lot because we were able to narrow our practice down quickly.”
Sands and Dimauro said execution will be their main adjustment heading into Friday.
“I would have hated to see what would have happened if we connected on everything today,” Dimauro said. “It would have been really nasty.”
The team of Tyler Lubbat and Calvin Landsberg brought a limit of 25-1 to the scales, lifting them to second place after Day 1. Lubbat and Landsberg had a productive practice, catching a 7-pounder and a couple of 4-pounders out of a specific area. On tournament day, the big bites showed up again, this time with a 7-3 largemouth and another fish close to 7 pounds that anchored their bag.
“We went in there this morning and had our weight by 9:30,” Lubbat said. “We sat there the rest of the day, Taloned down, and tried to keep as many people off of it as we could.”
One bait produced most of their bites on Day 1, Lubbat said, adding that he hasn’t seen any of the other competitors throwing the bait. While a lot of the other teams near the top have locked into different lakes, Lubbat and Landsberg are fishing shallow on Lake Harris this week, although Lubbat has tried to find some deeper fish.
Trevor McKinney and Blake Jackson from McKendree University secured third place after Day 1 with 20-8. McKinney and Jackson had just four hours of practice after Jackson’s boat was totaled the first day of practice in an off-the-water incident. In those four hours, however, the duo did catch a 6-pounder that sent them in the right direction on tournament day. With a good bag in the boat, McKinney and Jackson were able to use a lot of their time on Day 1 as a sort of practice day on Lake Griffin, making up for some of the time they lost during official practice.
“We are blessed. Our goal going out today was 16 or 17 pounds and we felt like we would be up there with a chance at a big bag tomorrow to make it (to the Top 12),” Jackson said. “We had a few good bites today and we executed well. We are definitely happy with what we have.”
Noah Boyett and Ty Garlington hold the Big Bass of the tournament with a 7-13 largemouth. More than half the field weighed a limit, while only two teams zeroed. The full field will return to the Harris Chain Friday with takeoff at 7:30 a.m. ET from Venetian Gardens. The weigh-in will start at the same site at 3:30 p.m.
After Friday’s weigh-in, the Top 12 teams will advance to Championship Saturday.
2020 Bassmaster College National Championship 10/29-10/31
Harris Chain Of Lakes, Leesburg FL.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Club/School Pts
1. Cole Sands - Conner Dimauro Bryan College 250
Day 1: 5 28-07 Total: 5 28-07
2. Tyler Lubbat - Calvin Landsberg 249
Day 1: 5 25-01 Total: 5 25-01
3. Trevor McKinney - Blake Jackson McKendree University 248
Day 1: 5 20-08 Total: 5 20-08
4. Jack Tindell - Brett Fregia Lamar State College Orange 247
Day 1: 5 20-06 Total: 5 20-06
5. Brian Linder - Nathan Thompson Minnesota State Univ Mankato 246
Day 1: 5 19-14 Total: 5 19-14
6. Ty Black - Avry Thomason Georgia Southern University 245
Day 1: 5 19-05 Total: 5 19-05
6. Luke Byerly - Drew Elrod University of Tennessee 245
Day 1: 5 19-05 Total: 5 19-05
8. Noah Boyett - Ty Garlington 243
Day 1: 5 18-04 Total: 5 18-04
9. Kyle Stafford - Jake Stines Polk State College 242
Day 1: 5 18-02 Total: 5 18-02
10. James Willoughby - Chance Schwartz University of Montevallo 241
Day 1: 5 17-12 Total: 5 17-12
11. Dawson Cassidy - Gus Mclarry Texas AM Commerce 240
Day 1: 5 17-09 Total: 5 17-09
12. Mason Moore - Logan Estes Eastern Kentucky University 239
Day 1: 5 17-04 Total: 5 17-04
12. Tanner Ward - Rory Franks 239
Day 1: 5 17-04 Total: 5 17-04
14. Grant Adams - Wil Rigdon Campbellsville University 237
Day 1: 5 16-15 Total: 5 16-15
14. Samuel Vandagriff - Jacob Woods Tennessee Tech University 237
Day 1: 5 16-15 Total: 5 16-15
16. Harbor Lovin - Zachary Martin Murray State University 235
Day 1: 5 16-12 Total: 5 16-12
17. Thaddeus Simerly - Ethan Shaw Bryan College 234
Day 1: 5 16-11 Total: 5 16-11
18. Chase Mundhenke - Blake Milligan 233
Day 1: 5 16-10 Total: 5 16-10
19. Dax Ewart - Kyle Palmer Bethel University 232
Day 1: 5 16-08 Total: 5 16-08
20. Grant Hack - Jonathan Stepp Ohio State 231
Day 1: 5 16-06 Total: 5 16-06
21. Miller Spivey - Trey Dickert University of Montevallo 230
Day 1: 5 16-05 Total: 5 16-05
22. Emil Wagner - 229
Day 1: 5 16-05 Total: 5 16-05
23. Jared Turnbloom - Jake Turnbloom 228
Day 1: 5 16-04 Total: 5 16-04
24. Grant Lesage - Zach Davis Southeastern Louisiana Universit 227
Day 1: 5 16-01 Total: 5 16-01
25. Nolan Minor - Casey Lanier 226
Day 1: 5 15-05 Total: 5 15-05
25. Cole Thompson - Benson Dowler 226
Day 1: 5 15-05 Total: 5 15-05
27. Jacob Frazier - Griffin Heffington Carson-Newman University 224
Day 1: 5 15-03 Total: 5 15-03
28. Solomon Glenn - Hunter Ward University of Montevallo 223
Day 1: 5 14-14 Total: 5 14-14
29. Weston Hollar - Wesley Gore University of Montevallo 222
Day 1: 5 14-13 Total: 5 14-13
30. Jack York - Samuel Harrison Stephen F Austin State Universit 221
Day 1: 5 14-08 Total: 5 14-08
31. Hayden Scott - Caleb Dachenhaus Adrian College 220
Day 1: 5 14-02 Total: 5 14-02
32. Kyle Everett - John Higginbotham LA Tech 219
Day 1: 5 14-00 Total: 5 14-00
33. Wyatt Reid - Gehrig DeFronzo Erskine College 218
Day 1: 5 13-15 Total: 5 13-15
34. Brett Clark - Cody Ross East Texas Baptist University 217
Day 1: 5 13-13 Total: 5 13-13
34. Cole Lamb - Tristan Weaver Arkansas Tech University 217
Day 1: 5 13-13 Total: 5 13-13
36. Wesley Pennington - University of North Alabama 215
Day 1: 5 13-12 Total: 5 13-12
37. Boone Faulkner - Nikolas Beckstein 214
Day 1: 5 13-11 Total: 5 13-11
38. Clayton Winebarger - Logan Reynolds Virginia Tech 213
Day 1: 5 13-10 Total: 5 13-10
39. Dawson Andrews - Wyatt Ensminger Southeastern Louisiana Universit 212
Day 1: 5 13-08 Total: 5 13-08
40. Matthew Bradham - Caleb Stephenson Campbellsville University 0
Day 1: 5 13-06 Total: 5 13-06
41. Cal Culpepper - Mason Waddell University of Montevallo 210
Day 1: 5 13-06 Total: 5 13-06
42. Jack Rankin - Hunter Baird Drury University 209
Day 1: 5 12-14 Total: 5 12-14
43. Austin Smith - Maddux Walters Carson-Newman University 208
Day 1: 5 12-14 Total: 5 12-14
44. Jarred Jones - Logan Tate Jacksonville State University 207
Day 1: 5 12-13 Total: 5 12-13
45. Griffin Fernandes - Gunner Wilson Adrian College 206
Day 1: 5 12-11 Total: 5 12-11
46. Hayden Gaddis - Ben Cully Carson-Newman University 205
Day 1: 5 12-10 Total: 5 12-10
47. Bailey Fain - Preston Kendrick Bryan College 204
Day 1: 5 12-09 Total: 5 12-09
48. Garrett Guinan - John Paul 203
Day 1: 5 12-07 Total: 5 12-07
49. Jack Dice - Liberty University 202
Day 1: 5 12-01 Total: 5 12-01
49. Rudolph Worley - John Nowlin Blue Mountain College 202
Day 1: 5 12-01 Total: 5 12-01
51. Zeke Gossett - Lucas Smith Jacksonville State University 200
Day 1: 5 12-00 Total: 5 12-00
51. Robert Howard - Miles Lucas Stephen F Austin State Universit 200
Day 1: 5 12-00 Total: 5 12-00
51. Connor Jacob - Sam Smith 200
Day 1: 5 12-00 Total: 5 12-00
54. Grant Pavelka - Mid-Plains Community College 197
Day 1: 5 11-14 Total: 5 11-14
55. Garrett Warren - Will Jones 196
Day 1: 5 11-13 Total: 5 11-13
56. Adam Carroll - Justin Barnes University of Montevallo 195
Day 1: 5 11-11 Total: 5 11-11
57. Griffin Phillips - Ethan King University of Montevallo 194
Day 1: 5 11-08 Total: 5 11-08
58. Jeremy Dellinger - Nathan Smith Catawba Valley Community College 193
Day 1: 5 11-04 Total: 5 11-04
59. Braxton Resweber - University of Louisiana at Lafay 192
Day 1: 5 11-03 Total: 5 11-03
60. Neal Wisinski - Nathan Siclovan University of Wisconsin Stevens 191
Day 1: 5 11-02 Total: 5 11-02
61. Matthew Cummings - Joseph Woods Bethel University 190
Day 1: 5 11-01 Total: 5 11-01
62. Brad Ableman - Wilson Smith Bethel University 189
Day 1: 5 11-00 Total: 5 11-00
63. Cordell Beckman - Greenville University 188
Day 1: 5 10-09 Total: 5 10-09
64. Andrew Fisher - Bennett Kudder Bryan College 187
Day 1: 5 10-07 Total: 5 10-07
64. Cameron Gautreau - Cade Fortenberry Nicholls State University 187
Day 1: 5 10-07 Total: 5 10-07
66. Cole Breeden - Cameron Smith Drury University 185
Day 1: 5 10-05 Total: 5 10-05
66. Sean Clayton - Owen Dimaio Clemson University 185
Day 1: 5 10-05 Total: 5 10-05
68. Drew Coker - Peyton Vinson 183
Day 1: 5 10-05 Total: 5 10-05
69. Logan Hawkins - Colby Hays Campbellsville University 182
Day 1: 5 10-03 Total: 5 10-03
70. Fisher Young - Alden Keel Jr Blue Mountain College 181
Day 1: 5 10-00 Total: 5 10-00
71. Nolan Yeager - Ethan LeGare Stephen F. Austin State Universi 180
Day 1: 5 10-00 Total: 5 10-00
72. Braden Perry - Aidan England Carson-Newman University 179
Day 1: 5 09-15 Total: 5 09-15
73. Jake Lee - Mason Cizek Bryan College 178
Day 1: 5 09-12 Total: 5 09-12
74. Jj Kocevar - Tanner Shriver 177
Day 1: 5 09-12 Total: 5 09-12
75. Jack Long - Brock Bila Drury University 176
Day 1: 5 09-11 Total: 5 09-11
76. Jarrett Brown - Tyler Harless University of Montevallo 175
Day 1: 5 09-09 Total: 5 09-09
76. Joseph McClosky - Ryan Winchester Bethel University 175
Day 1: 5 09-09 Total: 5 09-09
78. Andrew Heppe - Bryce Miller 173
Day 1: 5 09-07 Total: 5 09-07
79. Robert Cruvellier - Chase Clarke 172
Day 1: 5 09-06 Total: 5 09-06
79. Britt Myers - Tyler Anderson Lander University 172
Day 1: 5 09-06 Total: 5 09-06
81. Lane Bailey - Adam Seagle Catawba Valley Community College 170
Day 1: 5 09-05 Total: 5 09-05
82. Atom Ward - Gavin Lagle Indiana University Southeast 169
Day 1: 5 09-04 Total: 5 09-04
83. Logan Anderson - Josh Frederick North Carolina State University 168
Day 1: 5 09-02 Total: 5 09-02
84. Jake Maddux - Chace Gregory Southern Union Community College 167
Day 1: 5 09-00 Total: 5 09-00
85. Blake Spradlin - William Phillips Auburn University 166
Day 1: 5 08-13 Total: 5 08-13
86. Alec Coffey - Kyle Roy Campbellsville University 165
Day 1: 5 08-12 Total: 5 08-12
87. Mark Harris - Reece Martin Dallas Baptist University 164
Day 1: 5 08-10 Total: 5 08-10
88. Patrick Pelt - Anthony Vintson Auburn University 163
Day 1: 5 08-09 Total: 5 08-09
89. Logan Parks - Cody Griffith 162
Day 1: 5 08-08 Total: 5 08-08
90. Tommy Sendek - University of Montevallo 161
Day 1: 5 08-06 Total: 5 08-06
90. Tyler Vanbrandt - Grant Gallagher Adrian College 161
Day 1: 5 08-06 Total: 5 08-06
92. Conner Giles - Christian Wright Bryan College 0
Day 1: 5 08-04 Total: 5 08-04
93. Cody Gregory - Levi Mullins Bethel University 158
Day 1: 5 08-03 Total: 5 08-03
94. Bryce Fowler - Chris Bowen East Carolina University 157
Day 1: 5 08-01 Total: 5 08-01
95. Drew Pridgen - Kaleb Brown Lander University 156
Day 1: 5 07-14 Total: 5 07-14
96. Dalton Smith - Bradley Dunagan Campbellsville University 155
Day 1: 4 07-12 Total: 4 07-12
97. Austin Carr - Justin Carr 154
Day 1: 5 07-11 Total: 5 07-11
98. Trey Schroeder - Tyler Christy McKendree University 153
Day 1: 5 07-09 Total: 5 07-09
99. Grayson Morris - Jacob Pfundt University of Montevallo 152
Day 1: 5 07-08 Total: 5 07-08
99. Gunner Whitaker - Lafe Messer Kentucky Christian University 152
Day 1: 5 07-08 Total: 5 07-08
101. Ty Cox - Fisher Overton Blue Mountain College 150
Day 1: 2 07-05 Total: 2 07-05
102. Tyler Pendergrass - Avery Whitwell University of North Alabama 149
Day 1: 5 06-12 Total: 5 06-12
102. Zach Vielhauer - Michael Mueting Kansas State University 149
Day 1: 5 06-12 Total: 5 06-12
104. Bobby Long - Whit Edmonds Lander University 147
Day 1: 5 06-10 Total: 5 06-10
105. Ben Ford - Cole Bathje Augustana College 146
Day 1: 5 06-09 Total: 5 06-09
106. GL Compton - Matthew Sprouse Clemson University 145
Day 1: 3 06-07 Total: 3 06-07
107. Zachary Asher - Jacob Klicman 144
Day 1: 5 06-02 Total: 5 06-02
107. Jr Young - Hunter Bailey Jacksonville State University 144
Day 1: 5 06-02 Total: 5 06-02
109. Landon Lawson - Donavan Carson King University 142
Day 1: 3 05-09 Total: 3 05-09
110. Evan Haley - Chase Arkell Marshall University 141
Day 1: 3 05-06 Total: 3 05-06
111. Evan Thomas - Alex Briggs Hampden Academy 140
Day 1: 2 04-14 Total: 2 04-14
112. Will Leonard - Jared Page 139
Day 1: 4 04-00 Total: 4 04-00
113. Ethan Jones - Andrew Althoff Mckendree University 138
Day 1: 3 03-12 Total: 3 03-12
114. Josh Dugger - Jake Dugger Arkansas Tech University 137
Day 1: 1 02-10 Total: 1 02-10
115. James Duncan - Blake Stringer Campbellsville University 136
Day 1: 1 00-13 Total: 1 00-13
116. Lawson Graves - Cameron Glasscock Wallace State Community College 135
Day 1: 1 00-12 Total: 1 00-12
117. Cole Cloud - Blake Wade 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
117. Bryce Henley - Reese Kingston Brewton-Parker College 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
117. Seth Roberts - Bethel University 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 105 552 1359-13
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105 552 1359-13