LA CROSSE, Wis. (Aug. 2, 2022) – The McKendree University team of Kyle Hopping, Evan Sutton, Jaxson Freeman and Harmon Marien, won the Major League Fishing (MLF) Wiley X College Faceoff at the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Saturday. The Bearcats bass club boated 19 bass weighing 39 pounds, 9 ounces to win the second Wiley X College Faceoff Event of the 2022 season and earn the win by a 12-pound, 12-ounce margin over Purdue University.
The five teams that competed in the Wiley X College Faceoff at the Mississippi River finished:
1st: McKendree University – Kyle Hopping, Evan Sutton, Jaxson Freeman and Harmon Marien, 19 bass, 39-9
2nd: Purdue University – William Bruin, Ross Carter, Mason Bohland and Brady Metzger, 14 bass, 30-13
3rd: University of Iowa – Gannon Courtright, Pierce Knarr, Eli Johnson and Ryan Lowe, eight bass, 18-1
4th: University of Missouri – Brett Hurst, Hayden Moore, Luke Noel and Brian Walkup, five bass, 16-10
5th: University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point – Clay Dailey, Adam Rogge, Isaac Thompson and Ryan Van Cuick, five bass, 9-1
Complete results from the event can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The Wiley X 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 Abu Garcia 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 Wiley X 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 Wiley X College Faceoff tournament on the Mississippi River was the second of four Faceoff events for MLF collegiate anglers in 2022. The next Faceoff event for college anglers will take place on Saturday, Sept. 10 at Lake Erie in Sandusky, Ohio.
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 location for the 2023 MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI National Championship will be announced soon.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X and YETI.