LEESBURG, Fla. – The Bethel University bass fishing team has qualified two teams for the Bassmasters national championship.
A total of 275 boats and over 500 students Anglers competed for the chance to extend their season to the championship which will be held in August by Bassmasters.
Bethel’s Sawyer Williams and partner Jackson Smith had a total two day weight of ten fish for 36 pounds, fourteen ounces to place the Bethel team in fifteenth place. Williams is a sophomore and Smith is a freshman.
Coming In nineteenth place and also qualifying for the Bassmasters Nationals was the team of Hunter Fillmore and Dylan Fogarty with a ten fish limit for the two day tournament weighing in at a hefty 35 pounds, 6 ounces. Hunter and Dylan are no strangers to bass fishing competition as the duo won the Major League Fishing Open championship back in February of 2022 at Dayton, Tennessee.
“I am so very proud of our Bethel Bass Team and the guys who qualified in the tournament this past week,” said Coach Mason. “The whole team had a great tournament and I am sure that we will have some more teams qualify in the next upcoming Bassmasters tournaments.” said Mason.
The Bass Cats now get ready to travel back to Florida in February for competition in the Major League Fishing National Championship which is a different tournament trail than Bassmasters. Bethel will have four boats and eight anglers in the championship and each team qualified back in the 2022 season for the event.