Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By JAMON SMITH | Special to the Reporter

MONTEVALLO – The University of Montevallo fishing team is ranked No. 1 in the Bass Pro Shops 2022-2023 School of the Year standings released last week.

“The fishing team’s extraordinary success at the national level is exemplary of a long-standing standard of excellence on our campus,” said President John W. Stewart III. “Everyone in the Montevallo family is committed to student success and, as president, it is very meaningful to see students so devoted to their academic and extracurricular passions.”

The fishing team, which is part of the UM President’s Outdoor Scholars Program, has accumulated a total of 18,915 points during the season so far, which began in June and ends in May.

The team has outfished more than 170 other schools to achieve the hard-fought ranking by The Association of Collegiate Anglers, which manages the multifaceted Bass Pro Shops School of the Year program presented by Abu Garcia to rank and reward collegiate bass fishing teams throughout the country.

The fishing team has previously won two back-to-back Bass Pro Shops School of the Year titles in the past two years as well as two back-to-back Major League Fishing National School of the Year titles.

“It’s always good to be on top,” said UM Head Fishing Coach William Crawford. “We’re halfway through the season and as it stands right now, we’re the No. 1 team in the country. The biggest part of our season is the second half that we’re about to start in Florida.”

“It doesn’t matter how you start but how you finish. As long as we can hold onto that No. 1 spot and come out on top, that’s the ultimate goal.”

The 2022-2023 team members are:

• Aaron Cherry
• Andrew Howell
• Andrew Oswalt
• Andrew Thompson
• Beau Browning
• Blair Erickson
• Brandon Berry
• Brennan Berglund
• Brenton Godwin
• Briggs Alavezos
• Brody Robison
• Brooks Parker
• Cal Culpepper
• Chance Schwartz
• Chandler Olivier
• Charlie Wright
• Cole Dodson
• Cole Edwards
• Colton White
• Dalton Head
• Davian Smith
• DK Patterson
• Drake Sturgill
• Easton Fothergill
• Gavin Schmitz
• Hudson Choquette
• Hunter Bright
• Hunter Odom
• Jack Alexander
• Jack Baron
• Jackson Pontius
• Jacob Pfundt
• Jacob Swanson
• James Willoughby
• Jordan Pennington
• Jordan Turner
• Luke Davis
• Max Godsin
• Merritt Arnold
• Michael Witherup
• Miller Dowling
• Nick Dumke
• Owen Zugel
• Parker O’Bryan
• Peyton Harris
• Peyton Sorrow
• River Eubanks
• Ryan Thomas
• Scott Sledge
• Solomon Glenn
• Tommy Loper
• Tommy Sendek
• Trent Gilmore
• Tyler Cain
• Tyler Cory
• Will Ayscue
• Will Holloway
• Wyatt Wood