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Anthony and Tim DeVolder of St. Ambrose University were named winners of the Under Armour Undeniable Performance Award for the selflessness and camaraderie they displayed at the Under Armour College Bass National Championship last October. The brothers received 33 percent of the vote to earn the honor. Other nominees for the award, which was determined exclusively by online fan voting at CollegeBass.com, included teams from Arizona State University, Frostburg State University, the University of Oklahoma and the University of South Carolina-Upstate.
"Under Armour would like to congratulate the DeVolder brothers for their classic display of sportsmanship on collegiate bass fishing's biggest stage," said Matt Kurowski, senior outdoor marketing manager for Under Armour, Inc. "We truly appreciate the perseverance these young anglers showed, and we're proud to recognize them for embodying the sportsmanship of a true athlete."
The St. Ambrose team, which had traveled all the way from their Iowa campus to take a shot at college bass fishing's national championship, put their own title hopes on hold multiple times to help out fellow anglers in need, starting as early as the last day of practice when they towed in the broken down boat of the University of Oklahoma team.
The DeVolder brothers exhibited good sportsmanship once again on the first official day of competition, when they noticed the Texas Tech University team sidelined and stopped to give them a lift to the weigh-in. No sooner had they resumed their trip toward the dock when their engine blew up and one of the North Carolina teams had to rescue them.
The hits didn't stop coming, as the engine couldn't be fixed that evening and forced them to fish Day Two with only a trolling motor to propel them. However, the team still managed to weigh in fish both days and finish in the top 20 with over 6 1/2 pounds of fish.
Mitch Kistner and Davis Hart knew it wouldn't be easy to travel all the way from Tempe to Little Rock. But they never imagined it could be this hard. It started at the airport, where they were forced to leave four rods behind due to size restrictions. Two nearly-missed flights later they were exhausted and unsure there would even be a boat waiting for them when they arrived. They were in luck, but missed all of pre-fishing and went into the tournament blind. Day One brought trolling motor issues and Day Two handed them a burned out light, but they made it out on the water both days and weighed in two good fish on Saturday. The plucky Sun Devils may have gone home from Little Rock empty-handed, but they determinedly overcame every obstacle they faced for a chance to compete in the championship.
Anthony and Tim DeVolder may be brothers in real life, but they viewed their fellow competitors at the championship as family. These good Samaritans put their own title hopes on hold multiple times to help out fellow anglers in need, starting as early as the last day of pre-fish when they towed in the broken down boat of the Oklahoma State team. They were headed for the dock again on Thursday when they noticed the Texas Tech team sidelined and stopped to give them a lift to the weigh-in. No sooner had they resumed their trip back when their engine blew up and one of the North Carolina teams had to rescue them. The hits didn't stop coming, as the engine couldn't be fixed that evening and forced them to fish Day Two with only a trolling motor to propel them. The team, who had traveled all the way from Iowa for their shot at the championship, still managed to weigh in fish both days and finish in the top 20.
Pete Sherbert found a great partner in Colin Coffman. If only he could have had the chance to fish with him. A family emergency prevented Coffman from joining his teammate in Little Rock, but rather than tucking his tail and returning home, Sherbert decided he would take on the nation's best collegiate anglers single-handed. Along the way he was forced to rely on the kindness of strangers to help him with everything from getting his boat in the water to plugging in his batteries and keeping his boat afloat. But fish he did, and two solid bags totaling over 13 pounds, coupled with a dogged determination for his sport put the solo angler in 11th place and impressed the crowd and fellow anglers alike.
Jack Wolf and Joseph Murphy embarked on their 18-hour road trip with the radio blaring, fishing rods in the back and their boat pulling behind them. As they snaked their way through the northern mountains headed for Little Rock they felt ready for whatever the Arkansas River could throw at them. They were not ready, however, for the trouble they encountered along the way. Engine problems kicked in after only eight hours on the road, and it wasn't long before the power steering on their borrowed van was gone and the boys were on the side of the road. But the Bobcats weren't ready to give up, and after multiple assists from family members, two nights in roadside motels and more than a few cockroaches, the boys rolled into town minutes before the opening meeting was scheduled to begin. With no pre-fishing but more than a few battle wounds they remained determined to fish the tournament to the best of their ability. Day Two finally brought them the keepers they had been looking for, and a top-30 finish for the dedicated young anglers showed their passion for the sport.
Chip Porsche' and Matt Pangrac arrived late Monday night pulling a boat most college kids would die for: a gleaming Triton with a 250 horsepower Mercury on the back. But by Wednesday afternoon that same Triton was in disrepair with the motor literally cracked in half after a run-in with a rock jetty at 35 mph. But the Sooner duo refused to throw in the towel, swallowing their pride and calling in reinforcements in the form of Porche's dad. He arrived later that evening pulling an old Blue Wave boat behind him that had belonged to Chip's grandfather. But the boys refused to dwell on the loss of their ace boat and instead focused on the most important thing – fishing. After leading Day One they turned in a solid Day Two and made the top five in second place, showing no signs of slowing down even without the 250 horsepower they left behind.
