WADDINGTON, NY – The Bethel University Bass Team traveled to Waddington, New York to fish in one of the nation’s most prestigious national championship tournaments this past week.
Five teams from Bethel qualified to fish the Bassmasters College National Championship through a series of top twelve tournament finishes throughout the year long season.
Over two hundred of the nation’s top college anglers along with the five Bethel bass fishing teams competed in the event and two teams from Bethel would see a top ten finish after day three of the competition.
Tristan McCormick and Stevie Mills, both from Dickson County, Tennessee pulled off a strong second place finish for the Bethel Wildcats during three days of stiff competition held on the St. Lawrence River in upstate New York.
McCormick and Mills had a three day total of five Smallmouth bass for a total weight of 60 pounds, 7 ounces to loft them into the second highest overall weight of the tournament, just behind the winning team from Adrian College.
Bethel Anglers Ryan Winchester and teammate Joe McClosky came in tenth place during the event with a total three day weight of 56 pounds, 7 ounces.
McCormick and Mills now move on to compete with three other schools in the Bassmasters College Classic Bracket to be held in October where one angler out of the field of eight will win the opportunity to fish in the Bassmasters Classic which is considered the world’s championship of professional bass angling.
McCormick, Mills, Winchester, McClosky, Brad Ableman, Kyle Palmer, Jackson Staib, Baylor Howell, Hunter Fillmore, and Coleman Bingham represented Bethel in great fashion.
Bethel won the Bassmasters National championship in both 2018 and 2019. Two Bethel anglers have won the Bassmasters Classic Bracket and fished the Bassmasters Classic, John Garrett and Cody Huff are the only two anglers to fish the Classic from one school in the history of the Classic. Now Tristan and Stevie will have the chance to join them for a place in the record books by winning the Classic Bracket.
“We are so proud of Tristan and Stevie on their second place finish and Ryan and Joe for their top ten place in the national championship,” said Coach Garry Mason. “These guys fished against the very best college bass anglers in the world and finished the championship with two Bethel teams in the top ten.” Mason added, “A great feat that has become a standard for our program.”
McCormick and Mills also had the largest single day weight during the tournament as their day one bag of five fish weighted in at 24 pounds, 9 ounces. That’s just under five pounds per fish average.
Meanwhile, McCormick and Mills recovered from a disappointing Day two and caught 19-13 on the final day to finish in second with 60-7. The Bethel duo led Day one with 24-9 and earned Nitro Big Bag of the Tournament honors, but weighed in just 16-1 on the second day to fall to fourth.