Bryan College Jumps Four Places to Take the Top Spot with the University of North Alabama in 2nd and Mississippi State University in 3rd
Cabela’s School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia has seen a shakeup in the Top Five after the completion of the first major Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series event for this season. This past weekend, 519 anglers from 84 schools descended onto Kentucky Lake for the 2017 Cabela’s Collegiate Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley. There was no shortage of drama as the event was changed from a 2-day event to a 1-day event ahead of a possible snow and ice storm that was supposed to hit the Kentucky Lake area Saturday night. What everyone didn’t know was that the storm would move in early and play a big factor in the ever-changing conditions with which the college anglers we’re dealing with.
Going into the event, Bryan College was sitting at 5th place in the standings, and knew they needed to have a good tournament and take advantage of the double points event. Despite the weather, they brought in several quality bass to the scales led by Nathan Bell with a 6.81lb fish, which placed 7th overall in the event and helped gain vital points towards the Cabela’s School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia race.
Bryan College has seen the top of the Cabela’s School of the Year race before, placing 6th in 2016 and 18th in 2015. Coach Keen and the Bryan College community have had tremendous support and their eye on the big title since they’ve come onto the scene. “This is so big for us because we are still a relatively new program. We’re just in our 3rd year of competing and the recognition this would bring to our school and our fishing team would be huge,” said Michael Keen, Coach of the Bryan College Bass Fishing Team. “Our guys are really pumped about being #1 because they have worked so hard to get there,” Keen continued. “Our strategy has not changed. They are going to try and stay consistent and keep finishing in the top 10 of tournaments they have left.”
About the ACA
The Association of Collegiate Anglers, a division of Careco TV, is a sanctioning body developed to facilitate growth, development, and structure within competitive collegiate bass fishing. The ACA provides support to dozens of school operated regional events nationwide and owns the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, the largest participatory collegiate tournament circuit in the country. With dedicated collegiate fishing programming on several television networks, four nationally televised collegiate bass fishing events, and thousands of members, the ACA is the leader in competitive collegiate bass fishing. For more information on the ACA, or the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, visit www.CollegiateBassChampionship.com.
By: Amanda Gutierrez
