SAN ANTONIO, TX (October 31, 2023) – The Association of Collegiate Anglers recently contested its second event of the 2023-24 season on the Collegiate Bass Fishing Series. The AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open saw close to 240 teams compete on Lake Dardanelle in Russellville, AR for more than $20,000 in prizes and contingencies, as well as double points to count towards the School of the Year. Along with the valuable prizes and points up for grabs, the Top 10 teams in the final tournament standings earned qualification into the 2024 Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship.
Here are the 10 teams that earned automatic qualification to compete in the 19thedition of college fishing’s longest-running National Championship at Pickwick Lake next May:
- Wyatt Pearman & Ridge Rutledge – Campbellsville University
- Caden Crutchfield & Micah Sowders – Murray State University
- Peyton Harris & Dalton Head – University of Montevallo
- Jackson Paden & Austin Wadzinski – University of Tennessee
- Archer Smith & Jackson Kulijof – Murray State University
- Hayden Gaddis & Ben Cully – Carson-Newman University
- Storm Cline & Gavin Clevenger – Carson-Newman University
- Cade Lipham & Caleb Coleman – Drury University
- TJ Edwards & Camden Lewis – Blue Mountain Christian University
- Caz Anderson & Will Harris – Carson-Newman University
Carson-Newman and Murray State are the only two schools to earn multiple qualifications from this event.
5th ranked Carson-Newman had three teams finish in the Top 10 at the AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open. Combined with three Top 10’s at Kentucky Lake earlier this season, Carson-Newman has earned a total of six automatic qualifications into the 2024 Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship via Top 10 finishes. If the season were to end today, the team from Jefferson City, TN would qualify to send 10 boats to compete at Pickwick Lake.
Murray State has earned the second-highest number of additional qualifications through the first two events of the season on the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series. The 3rd ranked team in the nation earned three spots at Kentucky Lake and tacked on two more at Lake Dardanelle. Murray State currently qualifies to send nine teams to the Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship.