LA CROSSE, Wis. (Aug. 3, 2021) – The University of Iowa team of Pierce Knarr, Ryan Lowe, Jake Usher and Gannon Courtright, won the Major League Fishing (MLF) College Faceoff Tournament at the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Saturday. The Hawkeye’s bass club boated 47 bass weighing 116 pounds, 6 ounces to win the third of four College Faceoff Events in the 2021 season and earn the win by a 61-pound, 13-ounce margin over Minnesota’s Bemidji State University.
The five teams that competed in the College Faceoff at the Mississippi River in La Crosse finished:
1st: University of Iowa – Pierce Knarr, Ryan Lowe, Jake Usher and Gannon Courtright, 47 bass, 116-6
2nd: Bemidji State University – Preston McManamy, Derian Gerdes, Jack Webb and Samuel Heichel, 20 bass, 54-9
3rd: Drury University – Brock Bila, Dylan Chambers, Cole Breeden and Cameron Smith, 17 bass, 33-6
4th: Adrian College – Brian Kostman, Kobe Thompson, Hayden Scott, Griffin Fernandes, nine bass, 20-10
5th: Augustana University – Danny Ford, Benjamin Ford, Matt Straus, Andrew Hipes, seven bass, 15-4
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 was the third of four Faceoff events for MLF collegiate anglers. The next College Faceoff event will be held Aug. 21 at the Detroit River in Trenton, Michigan.
College Fishing teams compete in three regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. Registration is accepted from any eligible college team from across the United States. The top ten teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 20 teams from the annual College Fishing Open advance to the following year’s College Fishing National Championship. One additional team will automatically qualify for the National Championship for every 10 teams over 200 competing.