San Antonio, TX (June 27, 2024) – Summer is here, the 2023-24 school year is complete, and the final event has been contested in the race for Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia. With the standings finalized, the Association of Collegiate Anglers is reviewing the final rankings for the year. In this feature article, we will highlight teams that finished the season ranked 6th – 15th.
Each school represented in this segment of the rankings was picked to be inside of the Top 25, per the ACA’s annual Pre-Season Poll. Teams ranked 6th – 15th were separated by less than 7,000 points, with 12th – 15th being 850 points apart.
6.LSU-Shreveport
7.Adrian College
8.Murray State University
9.Campbellsville University
10.Lander University
11.Bethel University
12.University of Tennessee
13.Dallas Baptist University
14.Wabash Valley College
15.Drury University
6)LSU-Shreveport
This rankings review starts off by featuring a team that achieved its program’s best-ever finish in the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia. LSU-Shreveport finished the 2023-24 season ranked 6th, with 32,655 points. Prior to this season, the team’s highest finish was 15th (2022-23). LSUS has now finished in the Top 25 for the National Rankings in three-straight seasons. Picked 15th in the Pre-Season Poll, LSUS exceeded its pre-season ranking by a total of nine places. This is the largest margin of improvement from the start of the year through the end of the year by any team represented in this article highlighting those ranked 6th – 15th.
The 2023-24 season for LSUS was highlighted by success at multiple major events nationwide. Brayden Nichols & William Tew won the MLF College Series event at Sam Rayburn early in the fall. Combined with their next highest-finishing team, that earned LSUS 2,300 points. At Lake Dardanelle for the AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open, LSUS earned 3,200 points thanks to a 12th place finish by Brayden Nichols & William Tew, and a 20th from Bryant Martin & Luke Batts. Other major successes included earning over 3,200 points at the MLF National Championship, and 6,295 points at the Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops. Here were their Top 3 teams at Pickwick Lake:
5th Place: William Tew & Brayden Nichols
29th Place: Bryant Martin & Luke Batts
32nd Place: Miles Smith & Levi Thibodeaux
7)Adrian College
Adrian College checks in at 7th overall in the final rankings for the 2023-24 Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia. Over the past 10 or so years, the team from Michigan has cemented its place amongst the top college bass fishing programs in the country. With a 7th place finish this year, that makes for seven straight seasons in which Adrian College has ended the season ranked inside of the Top 10. And in the years prior to that stretch starting, they were ranked inside of the Top 25 on a regular basis. Their program’s best ever end-of-season ranking is 3rd, and that is what they were chosen entering the season via the ACA’s Pre-Season Poll.
At the mid-way point of the year, Adrian College jumped out to a strong start for the spring swing by earning 3,840 points at the MLF National Championship in Florida. Braylon Eggerding & Lucas Washburn won the event, and Gerald Brumbaugh & Mitchell Straffon took 9th. Adrian College earned the second most points of any team to compete at that tournament.
Later in the spring, Adrian College again placed two teams in the Top 10 at an event…this time at the Hartwell Slam. Nick Owens & Quade Lobo finished in 3rd, and Dalton Mollenkopf & Derek Rodriguez claimed 9th. Those two high finishes netted the team 3,400 points. This too was the 2nd highest points total earned by any one team at that event.
Competing at the final points eligible event of this season in their home state of Michigan, Adrian College had a great finish to the season. They earned the most points out of any team on-hand for this double points Bassmaster College Series tournament. Elliot Wielgopolski & Aaron Jagfeld were in 2nd, and Hank Sturm & Matt Mosby finished in 10th. Those two top 10 finishes earned Adrian College 2,400 points. That strong finish helped them to jump four places, from 11th to 7th, to round out the year.
8)Murray State University
The next team we’ll review is Murray State University. Murray State qualified the second most number of boats (11) out of any school to compete at the Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops. This speaks to the team’s success at ACA events in 2023-24, as additional top spots were earned via top finishes. Murray State earned 16,215 points at ACA events last season. Here is a look at those top finishes:
Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley: Top two finishes – 1st Harlan Thomas, 3rd Braiden Koerber
AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open: Top two finishes – 2nd Caden Crutchfield & Micah Sowders, 5th Archer Smith & Jackson Kulijof
Hartwell Slam: Top two finishes – 5th Levi Kohl & Grant Meisenhelter, 10th Adrian Urso & Corbin Templon
Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops: Top three finishes – 7th Adrian Urso & Corbin Templon, 24th Harlan Thomas & Caleb White, 65th Caden Crutchfield & Sam Moll
Murray State University placed their two highest-finishing teams inside of the Top 10 at each ACA double points event. Harlan Thomas had the best finish of them all, as he won the Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley at Kentucky Lake.
Murray State has a long history of success in the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia. Over the course of the past 10 years, Murray State has only finished outside of the Top 10 one time (13th in 2021-22). The team from Murray, KY was selected as 13th in the Pre-Season Poll coming into this year.
9)Campbellsville University
Campbellsville University finishes the 2023-24 Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia ranked 9th overall, with a season total of 31,700 points. Campbellsville has finished in the Top 20 at the end of the season for six straight years. Their best finish ever in the only all-encompassing National Rankings system came in 2022-23, when they finished 7th overall. Campbellsville was nominated as the 6th best team coming into this past year, per the ACA Pre-Season Poll.
Campbellsville University competed in all four ACA major events during the 2023-24 season. Across those four tournaments, they earned a total of 13,570 points. Wyatt Pearman & Ridge Rutledge won the AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open, and Ryan Lachniet & Tavin Hodgens finished in 2nd at the Hartwell Slam.
Campbellsville’s momentum was a wave that they rode throughout the entire season. Carter Doren & Ryan Lachniet finished in 2nd place at the MLF National Championship on Lake toho.
10)Lander University
Entering this season, Lander University was selected as 17th in the ACA’s annual Pre-Season Poll. Following the school’s best season in program history, Lander finished in 10th overall for the 2023-24 Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia. Lander ended the season with a total of 30,525 points. Lander’s historic season was bolstered by several major tournament victories throughout the year:
MLF College Series at Lake Hartwell: 1st Place – Kaleb Brown & Cole Moulton
Bassmaster College Series at Clarks Hill: 1st Place – Anderson Jones
Lander University started the 2023-24 race in 1st place when the first rankings were revealed early last fall. This was the highest-ever in-season ranking achieved by the program from Greenwood, SC.
Prior to this season, Lander University’s highest-ever finish in the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia was 19th (2022-23). The team earned a total of 5,630 points at the ACA’s triple points Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops. Anderson Jones claimed Garmin Tournament Rewards and placed 6th overall, the highest of any of his fellow teammates.
11)Bethel University
The next team to be featured in this rankings review is Bethel University. Bethel finishes the year ranked 11th, with 30,405 points. Bethel edged out 12th place by close to 4,000 points. That is the largest gap between a team and its next closest competitor in this segment of the rankings. Bethel University competed in all four ACA major events throughout the 2023-24 season, earning a total of 12,360 points. Bethel University anglers started the season off strong, as the team’s highest finishing boat at the Bassmaster College Series Championship placed in 2nd overall. That was the pairing of Levi Mullins and Matthew Cummings. Bethel University also had very strong showings at each of its three MLF regular-season double points tournaments. Bethel’s lowest-finishing, points earning team across those three MLF events placed in 16th. Bethel University is the only past winner of the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia to be featured in this rankings review(2017-18.). Bethel’s lowest finish in the National Rankings over the past 10 years is 13th.
12)University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee was picked 19th overall in the annual ACA Pre-Season Poll entering this past school year. By earning a season total of 26,540 points, Tennessee finished the 2023-24 Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia ranked 12th. The team from Knoxville, TN got off to a hot start this season by earning 3,180 points at the Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley. Tennessee’s top two anglers placed in 11th (Austin Wadzinski) and 23rd overall (Matthew Dettling). One of Tennessee’s best individual showings came at the Bassmaster College Series event on Sam Rayburn. Jackson Paden & Joey Bissing finished in 4th place at that tournament. Tennessee’s highest-ever end-of-season ranking is 3rd, which came during the 2016-17 season.
13)Dallas Baptist University
Checking in at 13th is Dallas Baptist University. DBU earned a season total of 25,950 points at a total of 16 points earning events competed in. 2023-24 is the 8th straight season in which DBU has finished inside of the Top 25 for the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia at the end of the year. DBU has finished in the Top 10 multiple times, with the program’s best finish coming during the 2012-13 season, in which they finished 8th overall. DBU anglers earned over 2,500 points at each ACA double points event this season, along with team member Hunter Jenkins claiming Overall Big Bass and earning a new Power-Pole at the AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open. Dallas Baptist University was selected as 16th in the ACA Pre-Season Poll, and exceeded those expectations by three spots.
14)Wabash Valley College
Wabash Valley College finishes the 2023-24 season ranked 14th in the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia. This 14th place ranking ties for WVC’s highest-ever end-of-season ranking. WVC also finished the 2021-22 season in 14th. This also makes for the 4th straight season in which WVC has ended the year inside of the Top 20 for college fishing’s only al-encompassing National Rankings system. WVC competed in all four ACA major events this past season, earning a total of 12,860 points. Close to half of their points came at ACA events. For the season, WVC accumulated 25,870 points. WVC finished the 2023-24 season strong at the triple points Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops. Traveling from Mt. Carmel, IL to Florence, AL, WVC earned 5,470 points at Pickwick Lake. Hunter Russell & Benny Blank placed 11th overall out of the elite 200 boat field.
15)Drury University
Drury University is the final team to be highlighted in this rankings review for the 2023-24 Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia. The team from Springfield, MO finished the season ranked 15th, with a total of 25,690 points. The 2023-24 campaign marks the 5th straight season in which Drury University has finished the year ranked inside of the Top 15. Entering the 2023-24 season, Drury University was selected by coaches, anglers, and media members as the 11th ranked team via the ACA Annual Pre-Season Poll. Drury University earned close to 10,000 points at ACA events this past season. One of the school’s best showings came at the AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open. Drury University placed two teams in the Top 20 (8th, 17th) to earn a total of 3,270 points. This was the 4th most points earned out of the 52 schools to compete at Lake Dardanelle. Here are three other key double points events that helped to propel Drury University to a 5th straight Top 15 finish:
MLF College Series at Sam Rayburn: 2,240 points – Top two finishes of 12th Caleb Coleman & Cade Lipham, 16thHunter Baird & Lee Lambrecht
Bassmaster College Series at Clarks Hill: 2,270 points – Top two finishes of 9th Clay Henderson & Brant Rowland, 16thNathan Fideldy & Laindree Richardson
Bassmaster College Series at Sam Rayburn: 2,420 points – Top two finishes of 2nd Cade Lipham & Caleb Coleman, 8thNathan Fideldy & Laindree Richardson
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