GEORGETOWN, S.C. — When Andrew Vereen and Connor Cartmell walked on stage on Day 2 of the Bassmaster College Series National Championship Tournament on Winyah Bay, they were met with a cheering section so loud it echoed throughout Front Street in downtown Georgetown. Vereen and Cartmell rewarded their family, friends and supporters with a 15-pound, 1-ounce bag of largemouth that lifted the Coastal Carolina University duo to the lead with a two-day total of 29-7. Entering the day in second with 14-6, Vereen and Cartmell now hold a 1-6 advantage over Jackson Swisher and Seth Slanker from Florida Gateway College.
“It feels good to have a crowd that knows who we are and is rooting for us,” Vereen said.
Vereen grew up just up the road from Georgetown in Murrells Inlet and has fished the Winyah Bay system his entire life. But he recognized that home-field advantage only does so much when so many quality anglers are in town.
“The local advantage is there for knowing the area better than others,” Vereen said. “As far as fishing goes, you have to put your head down and fish. Any of these boys can catch them. They are all good fishermen. But we do have an advantage in the fact I know how to get around.”
That navigation advantage has played a huge role so far, as they are getting back into tight areas on low tide in the Santee River. They were faced with the same tide situation as Day 1, which makes for an interesting run in the morning.
“We pretty much had the same tide we had yesterday but today it fell out a little lower,” Vereen said. “We have a sketchy run getting to where we are going. I’m a little nervous. If we get up there we are good, but if we take a lower unit off we will be (in trouble).”
While they had their limit by 11:30 a.m. Friday, it was the total opposite on Day 2. They got their biggest bite of the day early in the morning, but that fish never made it in the boat. After that, they adjusted to the conditions and recovered from their early-morning stumble.
“First thing this morning was a struggle. We lost one that was over 6 pounds, maybe 7,” Cartmell said. “We put one in the boat that was 12 inches and we started catching more fish and went from there after 11:30. We filled out a limit around 1 p.m. It was the complete opposite of yesterday because we didn’t catch one after 11 yesterday.”
One bait did the job on the first day in one stretch of the river, but Saturday the CCU duo threw a rotation of baits that included a shaky head and a big topwater bait. Clouds and a little bit of rain moved through the area as well, which Cartmell believes helped the cause.
“Yesterday it was one stretch. Today we caught two or three fish off of it and on the way back we junk fished,” Cartmell added. “We fished what looked good and laydowns that were off the bank 40 or 50 yards. You can barely see them sticking out of the water or submerged in the water.
“We Power-Pole down or Spot-Lock down and throw over it and work that sucker as slow as we can. Let it sit and that's when they eat it.”
Winning on his home waters would mean the world to Vereen, but he said they will need their area to reload a little bit.
“It would mean the world. All I want is that trophy,” he said. “I am nervous for tomorrow. We are kind of running out of fish. We are going to have to grind to get five of the right fish. All we can do is go fishing.”
Swisher and Slanker have used their history on the St. Johns River in Florida this week, catching 11-15 on Day 1 and 16-2 Saturday to climb into second place with a two-day total of 28-1.
“We know how to run the tide,” Swisher said. “I haven’t seen it act how it has acted the last couple days. I don’t know if it is because of the wind or what it is, but we haven’t had a slack tide. It is falling and then all of sudden it will rise. Back home, there is a solid 45 minutes of dead time.”
After a quick start to the morning, Swisher and Slanker suffered a lull before getting back on track.
“We had a 3-pounder as our first fish and then a 2 1/2 and then we went through a slow spell where we only caught some shorts,” Swisher said. “About 10 a.m., we started wearing them out and then in the last 20 minutes I caught a 4 1/2-pounder and that put us where we needed to be.”
The Florida anglers have found several areas of river that are largely untouched by the competition, areas they say most anglers wouldn’t take their boats. Having unpressured fish has been a huge part of their success this week.
Slanker said they ran the same program as they did Friday. But before the big bass today, they hadn’t had a true big bite this week. A buzzbait and a Senko have been their two key baits this week and he is hoping Sunday they will get another big bite that will lift them to victory.
Brooks Anderson and Parker Guy of Emmanuel College are in third with a two-day total 25-5, thanks mostly to their 16-6 Day 2 performance. After attempting their first-day pattern to start the morning, the duo received one key bite mid-morning that keyed them in.
“It really turned our day around,” Anderson said. “It clued us into what we needed to do. From there we put three really good fish in the boat. We had a couple more opportunities but we are hopeful for tomorrow.”
Solomon Glenn and Ryan Thomas from the University of Montevallo claimed the Big Bass of the Tournament with a 7-3 largemouth that anchored the Big Bag of the Tournament at 16-14.
The Top 12 anglers will return to Winyah Bay Sunday to compete for the National Championship title as well as a spot in the College Classic Bracket. Takeoff will begin at 6:30 a.m. ET from Carroll A. Campbell Marine Complex and weigh-in will begin around 2:30 p.m. in downtown Georgetown.
The Top 3 teams will join the Bassmaster College Team of the Year to qualify for the Bracket and a chance to compete in the 2023 Bassmaster Classic in Knoxville.
2022 Bassmaster College Series National Championship at Winyah Bay 9/2-9/4
Winyah Bay, Georgetown SC.
(BOATER) Standings Day 2
Angler Club/School Pts
1. Andrew Vereen - Connor Cartmell Coastal Carolina University 250
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 5 15-01 Total: 10 29-07
2. Jackson Swisher - Seth Slanker Florida Gateway College 249
Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 5 16-02 Total: 10 28-01
3. Brooks Anderson - Parker Guy Emmanuel College 248
Day 1: 5 08-15 Day 2: 5 16-06 Total: 10 25-05
4. Hayden Gaddis - Ben Cully Carson-Newman University 247
Day 1: 5 11-11 Day 2: 5 13-09 Total: 10 25-04
5. Jake Monti - Samuel Dunson UNC Charlotte 246
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 12-03 Total: 10 25-03
6. Tommy Sendek - Grayson Morris University of Montevallo 245
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 12-11 Total: 10 25-03
7. Tyler Christy - Trey Schroeder McKendree University 244
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 12-00 Total: 10 24-14
8. Conner Dimauro - Justin Botts Bryan College 243
Day 1: 5 08-02 Day 2: 5 15-09 Total: 10 23-11
9. Matthew Cummings - Levi Mullins Bethel University 242
Day 1: 5 09-05 Day 2: 5 13-15 Total: 10 23-04
10. James Willoughby - Jacob Pfundt University of Montevallo 241
Day 1: 5 15-15 Day 2: 5 07-01 Total: 10 23-00
11. Owen Januszewski - Matt Mosby Adrian College 240
Day 1: 5 10-01 Day 2: 5 12-03 Total: 10 22-04
12. Connor Jacob - Sam Smith Auburn University 239
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 5 10-03 Total: 10 21-08
13. Adrian Urso - Corbin Templon Murray State University 238
Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 5 10-11 Total: 10 21-02
14. Solomon Glenn - Ryan Thomas University of Montervallo 237
Day 1: 3 03-14 Day 2: 5 16-14 Total: 8 20-12
15. Ryan Franks - Jason Reding Kent State University 236
Day 1: 5 11-12 Day 2: 5 09-00 Total: 10 20-12
16. Brayden Mercer - Corey Morris East Texas Baptist University 235
Day 1: 5 07-03 Day 2: 5 13-08 Total: 10 20-11
17. Zack Barrera - Bryson Osteen Florida Gateway College 234
Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 5 08-13 Total: 10 20-11
18. Peyton Harris - Dalton Head University of Montevallo 233
Day 1: 5 09-13 Day 2: 5 10-12 Total: 10 20-09
19. Tyler Cory - Scott Sledge University of Montevallo 232
Day 1: 5 09-13 Day 2: 5 10-11 Total: 10 20-08
20. Kaden Proffitt - Cason Ragsdale East Texas Baptist University 231
Day 1: 5 07-03 Day 2: 5 13-04 Total: 10 20-07
21. Chase Sansom - Tyler Drown Marshall University 230
Day 1: 5 06-04 Day 2: 5 13-14 Total: 10 20-02
22. Luke Morgan - Kyle Knoll Southern Union State Community C 229
Day 1: 5 06-15 Day 2: 5 12-11 Total: 10 19-10
23. Victor Alford - Logan East Bryan College 228
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 5 09-05 Total: 10 19-08
24. Chase Hubble - Brent May Florida Gateway College 227
Day 1: 5 09-09 Day 2: 5 09-15 Total: 10 19-08
25. Conner Giles - Christian Wright Bryan College 226
Day 1: 5 11-03 Day 2: 5 08-02 Total: 10 19-05
26. Cole Lamb - Tristan Weaver Arkansas Tech University 225
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 05-11 Total: 10 19-04
27. Hunter Baird - Cole Breeden Drury University 224
Day 1: 5 09-01 Day 2: 5 10-03 Total: 10 19-04
28. Drew Traffanstedt - Dakendrick Patterson University of Montevallo 223
Day 1: 5 09-14 Day 2: 5 09-02 Total: 10 19-00
29. Logan Parks - Tucker Smith Auburn University 222
Day 1: 5 07-11 Day 2: 5 11-02 Total: 10 18-13
30. Ryan Feehan - Spence Francis Virginia Tech University 221
Day 1: 5 10-06 Day 2: 5 08-06 Total: 10 18-12
31. Tyler Anderson - Britt Myers Lander University 220
Day 1: 5 08-14 Day 2: 5 09-11 Total: 10 18-09
32. Jackson Ebbers - Hunter Suchsland University of Nebraska-Lincoln 219
Day 1: 5 08-08 Day 2: 5 10-00 Total: 10 18-08
33. Avery Hammock - Garrett Smith Erskine College 218
Day 1: 5 09-07 Day 2: 5 08-13 Total: 10 18-04
34. Carson Maddux - Robert Cruvellier Auburn University 217
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 3 05-09 Total: 8 18-01
35. Michael Postlewait - Andrew Rickman Dallas Baptist University 216
Day 1: 5 09-03 Day 2: 5 08-14 Total: 10 18-01
36. Matthew Davis - Adrian College 215
Day 1: 5 09-09 Day 2: 5 08-04 Total: 10 17-13
37. Blake Richards - James Gillis Clarkson University 214
Day 1: 5 12-10 Day 2: 4 04-15 Total: 9 17-09
38. Jacob Welch - Lee Lambrecht Drury University 213
Day 1: 3 10-11 Day 2: 5 06-14 Total: 8 17-09
39. Parker Greer - Andrew Shadle Baylor University 212
Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 5 07-02 Total: 10 17-09
40. Will Harkins - Mitchell Grimsley Young Harris College 211
Day 1: 5 09-02 Day 2: 5 08-05 Total: 10 17-07
41. Lucas Smith - Dalton Mize Jacksonville State University 210
Day 1: 5 08-03 Day 2: 5 09-02 Total: 10 17-05
42. Tj Davis - Austin Callovini Greenville University 209
Day 1: 5 07-13 Day 2: 5 09-03 Total: 10 17-00
43. Brian Linder - Nathan Thompson Minnesota State - Mankato 208
Day 1: 5 09-06 Day 2: 5 07-09 Total: 10 16-15
44. Luke Glasgow - James Ikerd Mississippi State University 207
Day 1: 5 09-15 Day 2: 5 06-10 Total: 10 16-09
45. Lafe Messer - Matt Messer Kentucky Christian University 206
Day 1: 5 07-08 Day 2: 5 09-01 Total: 10 16-09
46. Jack Dice - Liberty University 205
Day 1: 5 08-04 Day 2: 5 08-04 Total: 10 16-08
47. Hunter MCClaskey - Landon Lawson King University 204
Day 1: 5 08-04 Day 2: 5 08-00 Total: 10 16-04
48. Braden Perry - Aidan England Carson-Newman University 203
Day 1: 5 09-02 Day 2: 5 06-15 Total: 10 16-01
49. Griffin Fernandes - Hayden Scott Adrian College 202
Day 1: 5 06-12 Day 2: 5 09-03 Total: 10 15-15
50. Hunter Keller - Wesley Smith Catawba Valley Community College 201
Day 1: 5 07-09 Day 2: 5 08-05 Total: 10 15-14
51. Easton Fothergill - Nick Dumke University of Montevallo 200
Day 1: 5 05-10 Day 2: 5 10-02 Total: 10 15-12
52. Jake Peck - Beau Browning Drury University 199
Day 1: 5 07-02 Day 2: 5 08-10 Total: 10 15-12
53. Brady Rufenacht - Nick Redlin University of Wisconsin- Plattev 198
Day 1: 5 08-13 Day 2: 5 06-14 Total: 10 15-11
54. Jeremy Dellinger - Adam Seagle Erskine College 197
Day 1: 5 07-06 Day 2: 5 08-05 Total: 10 15-11
55. Kyle Simmons - Brett Halstead Kansas State University 196
Day 1: 5 07-09 Day 2: 5 08-01 Total: 10 15-10
56. Matthew Zdrazil - Easton Lindus Emmanuel College 195
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 2 02-11 Total: 7 15-09
57. Wyatt Pearman - Dustin Bauer Campbellsville University 194
Day 1: 5 09-10 Day 2: 5 05-15 Total: 10 15-09
58. Keaton Smith - Matthew Bradham Campbellsville University 193
Day 1: 4 06-00 Day 2: 4 09-06 Total: 8 15-06
59. Robert Gee - Chad Sentell University of Tennessee 192
Day 1: 5 08-02 Day 2: 5 07-02 Total: 10 15-04
60. Chase Clarke - Peyton McCord Auburn University 191
Day 1: 5 07-11 Day 2: 5 07-09 Total: 10 15-04
61. Eli Stevenson - Hunter Palmer Bryan College 190
Day 1: 5 07-11 Day 2: 5 07-08 Total: 10 15-03
62. Drew Gill - Jonah Potts Wabash Valley College 189
Day 1: 5 05-10 Day 2: 5 09-08 Total: 10 15-02
63. Logan Bozeman - Andrew Fryer Southern Union State Community C 188
Day 1: 5 06-01 Day 2: 5 08-14 Total: 10 14-15
64. Kyle Hopping - Jaxson Freeman McKendree University 187
Day 1: 5 05-15 Day 2: 5 08-15 Total: 10 14-14
65. Russel Buffa - Jenson Kay Adrian College 186
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 2 03-07 Total: 7 14-13
66. Tanner Barclay - Lloyd Laconsay Auburn University 185
Day 1: 5 07-01 Day 2: 3 07-10 Total: 8 14-11
67. Zach Malinowski - Kevin Langlands Grand Valley State University 184
Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 2 02-15 Total: 7 14-08
68. Tyler Pendergrass - Benson Dowler University of North Alabama 183
Day 1: 5 06-07 Day 2: 5 07-15 Total: 10 14-06
69. Jackson Paden - Joseph Bissing University of Tennessee 182
Day 1: 5 07-14 Day 2: 4 06-06 Total: 9 14-04
70. Joshua DeKoning - Dalton Mollenkopf Adrian College 181
Day 1: 5 07-08 Day 2: 4 06-12 Total: 9 14-04
71. Noah Campbell - Troy Harris Georgia College 180
Day 1: 5 07-07 Day 2: 5 06-13 Total: 10 14-04
72. Camden Trautlein - Bryce Dallas UW-Stout 179
Day 1: 5 06-09 Day 2: 5 07-10 Total: 10 14-03
73. Cody Griffith - Drew Jennings Auburn University 178
Day 1: 5 08-01 Day 2: 4 06-00 Total: 9 14-01
74. Brody Robison - Jack Alexander University of Montevallo 177
Day 1: 5 07-15 Day 2: 5 06-01 Total: 10 14-00
75. Ryan Park - Murray State University 176
Day 1: 5 07-13 Day 2: 5 06-03 Total: 10 14-00
76. Jayce Garrison - Mason Hoke Sam Houston State University 175
Day 1: 5 07-09 Day 2: 5 06-06 Total: 10 13-15
77. Michael Fugaro - Louis Monetti UNC Charlotte 174
Day 1: 5 06-03 Day 2: 5 07-11 Total: 10 13-14
78. Hayden O'barr - Tyler Lubbat University of Alabama 173
Day 1: 3 07-15 Day 2: 5 05-13 Total: 8 13-12
79. Camden Lewis - TJ Edwards Jr Blue Mountain College 172
Day 1: 5 07-11 Day 2: 5 06-01 Total: 10 13-12
80. Cordell Beckmann - Mark Burnham Greenville University 171
Day 1: 5 06-11 Day 2: 5 07-00 Total: 10 13-11
81. Colton White - Chance Schwartz University of Montevallo 170
Day 1: 5 07-14 Day 2: 5 05-12 Total: 10 13-10
82. Brady Duncan - Stevie Mills Carson-Newman University 169
Day 1: 4 07-08 Day 2: 5 06-01 Total: 9 13-09
83. Jordan Pennington - Weston Hollar University of Montevallo 168
Day 1: 5 06-12 Day 2: 5 06-13 Total: 10 13-09
84. Lane Lassiter - Tyler Finley University of North Alabama 167
Day 1: 5 09-11 Day 2: 3 03-09 Total: 8 13-04
85. Lane Bailey - Justin Eggers Catawba Valley Community College 166
Day 1: 5 06-11 Day 2: 5 06-09 Total: 10 13-04
86. Cy Casey - Tanner Hadden Emmanuel College 165
Day 1: 5 10-08 Day 2: 3 02-11 Total: 8 13-03
87. Kopeland Rosser - Ryan Branch University of Montevallo 164
Day 1: 5 07-13 Day 2: 4 05-05 Total: 9 13-02
88. Connor Hicks - Austin Wadzinski University of Tennessee 163
Day 1: 5 09-03 Day 2: 2 03-14 Total: 7 13-01
89. Cole Hopson - Callaway Robinson Georgia College 162
Day 1: 4 04-03 Day 2: 5 08-12 Total: 9 12-15
90. Reece Martin - Mark Harris Dallas Baptist University 161
Day 1: 5 06-12 Day 2: 5 06-03 Total: 10 12-15
91. Harmon Marien - Bailey Bleser McKendree University 160
Day 1: 5 06-00 Day 2: 5 06-12 Total: 10 12-12
92. Chase Milholen - Cody Gregory Bethel University 159
Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 1 01-15 Total: 6 12-11
93. Bradley Martin - Jack Baron University of Montevallo 158
Day 1: 5 05-15 Day 2: 5 06-12 Total: 10 12-11
94. John Harrell - Camden Romero Hinds Community College 157
Day 1: 5 06-14 Day 2: 5 05-12 Total: 10 12-10
95. John Mark Berry - Blake Bullock Blue Mountain College 156
Day 1: 5 07-03 Day 2: 4 05-05 Total: 9 12-08
96. Troy Gibson - Jake Novotny University of Louisville 155
Day 1: 4 05-02 Day 2: 5 06-08 Total: 9 11-10
97. Chase Carey - Dylan Akins Emmanuel College 154
Day 1: 5 05-00 Day 2: 5 06-06 Total: 10 11-06
98. Matthew Benson - Nathanael Wright Emmanuel College 153
Day 1: 5 09-15 Day 2: 1 01-01 Total: 6 11-00
99. Hunter Greer - Austin Speer Northwestern State University 152
Day 1: 5 08-15 Day 2: 1 01-01 Total: 6 10-00
100. Broxson Daigle - Aaron Hawkins Texas A&M University 151
Day 1: 5 05-03 Day 2: 5 04-13 Total: 10 10-00
101. Mitch Johnson - Gunner Whitaker Kentucky Christian University 150
Day 1: 5 09-09 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 09-09
102. Colton Hill - Trey Budach McKendree University 149
Day 1: 5 05-10 Day 2: 3 03-09 Total: 8 09-03
103. Colin Wolinski - Garrett Weiss Missouri State University 148
Day 1: 5 05-07 Day 2: 4 03-12 Total: 9 09-03
104. Jackson Denny - Colton Parrott University of South Carolina 147
Day 1: 5 08-15 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 08-15
105. Sam Hanggi - Sam Hoesley Auburn University 146
Day 1: 2 03-05 Day 2: 4 05-05 Total: 6 08-10
106. Koltyn Harbin - Baylor Howell Bethel University 145
Day 1: 2 02-00 Day 2: 5 06-08 Total: 7 08-08
107. Andrew Ready - Vince Maffei Webber International University 144
Day 1: 5 06-10 Day 2: 1 01-12 Total: 6 08-06
108. Lilly Smith - Anderson Jones Lander University 143
Day 1: 4 04-14 Day 2: 2 03-05 Total: 6 08-03
109. Cal Culpepper - Aaron Cherry University of Montevallo 142
Day 1: 2 02-04 Day 2: 5 05-07 Total: 7 07-11
110. Kobe Thompson - Adrian College 141
Day 1: 2 02-12 Day 2: 3 04-15 Total: 5 07-11
111. Dakota Posey - Trent Buchholz Lamar State College Orange 140
Day 1: 5 04-05 Day 2: 2 03-05 Total: 7 07-10
112. Brock Bila - Dylan Chambers Drury University 139
Day 1: 5 07-07 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 07-07
113. Jack Tindel - Brett Fregia Lamar State College Orange 138
Day 1: 2 02-11 Day 2: 3 04-08 Total: 5 07-03
114. Zach Mcnary - Eric Hanover Grand Valley State University 137
Day 1: 2 02-11 Day 2: 2 04-06 Total: 4 07-01
115. Sid Wallace - Braedon Metzgar Texas A&M University 136
Day 1: 2 02-08 Day 2: 2 04-07 Total: 4 06-15
116. TJ McKenzie - Seth Jenkins Emmanuel College 135
Day 1: 2 04-03 Day 2: 1 01-09 Total: 3 05-12
117. Logan Anderson - Tyler Little North Carolina State University 134
Day 1: 5 05-06 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 5 05-06
118. Evan Thomas - Joey Williams Liberty University 133
Day 1: 4 05-01 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 4 05-01
119. Kaleb Brown - Chad Mrazek Lander University 132
Day 1: 2 03-00 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 2 03-00
120. Garrett Thompson - Corey Pyles West Virginia University 131
Day 1: 2 02-08 Day 2: 0 00-00 Total: 2 02-08
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 101 558 961-03
2 84 498 874-07
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185 1056 1835-10