SANDUSKY, Ohio (Sept. 13, 2022) – The Penn State University team of Stephen Botek, Anthony Riello, Dylan Crystaloski and Jason Zubris, won the Major League Fishing (MLF) College Faceoff tournament at Lake Erie in Sandusky, Ohio, Saturday. The Nittany Lions bass club boated nine bass weighing 24 pounds, 11 ounces to win the third and final College Faceoff Event of the 2022 season and earn the win by a 1-pound, 14-ounce margin over Kentucky Christian University.
The five teams that competed in the College Faceoff at Lake Erie finished:
1st: Penn State University – Stephen Botek, Anthony Riello, Dylan Crystaloski and Jason Zubris, nine bass, 24-11
2nd: Kentucky Christian University – Jonathan Fraley, Reece Kenney, Jonathan Fitch and Blayne Leeman, eight bass, 22-13
3rd: Adrian College – Matthew Davis, Sam Shoemaker, Cole Carr and Paxton Glenn, nine bass, 21-4
4th: Western Michigan University – Mason Jones, Jack Schable, Branden Burrill and John Simmons, four bass, 10-4
5th: Ohio State University – Patrick Henry, Jared Minor, Nicholas Owens and Jeff Thomas, two bass, 5-3
The College Faceoffs are single-day tournaments where competitors fish in an MLF-style catch, weigh, immediate-release team format at each event. The College Faceoff tournaments occur the Saturday following an College Fishing competition, on the same body of water. The results from the College Fishing tournament the previous day determine the 20 competitors for the College Faceoff, with the top two teams (four anglers) from the top five schools in the regular season tournament qualifying to fish in the ten-boat faceoff the following day.
The College Faceoff tournament on Lake Erie was the third and final Faceoff event for MLF collegiate anglers in 2022.
MLF College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top 10 teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 20 teams from the annual Abu Garcia College Fishing Open will advance to the following season’s National Championship. The 2022 MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI National Championship Presented by Lowrance will be held on Fort Gibson Lake in Wagoner, Oklahoma, March 29-31, and is hosted by the Wagoner Area Chamber of Commerce.