GREENVILLE, S.C. — Right before the competitors weigh in on the final day at the 2015 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro, a group of up-and-coming anglers will cross the stage as part of the sixth annual Bassmaster College Classic.
Competitors from area colleges will compete on Lake Keowee, Feb. 22, for the chance to win the coveted College Classic trophy, and then they’ll weigh in on the largest stage in the world of bass fishing.
“We started this event back in 2010,” said Hank Weldon, youth director at B.A.S.S. “While it is a small tournament in terms of numbers, this event is sometimes our most publicized because it is held in conjunction with the GEICO Bassmaster Classic. It gives our competitors a small taste of what it is like to be a Classic angler.”
This year’s College Classic is an excellent example of how anglers grow with B.A.S.S. through several different levels. Ben Stone, who will be representing Lander University, went across the Classic stage last year as part of the High School Classic. And John Duarte of Coastal Carolina University has already won a big award with B.A.S.S. before. He was the national 2009 Junior World Championship winner in the 11- to 14-year-old age division.
In the 2014 Bassmaster College Classic, two teams tied for the top honor. Andrew Warbington and Mitch Brumbeloe of the University of West Alabama will compete on Keowee to defend their title. Their counterparts, Caleb Masters and Landon Dixon of the University of Oklahoma, will not be able to attend.
Andrew Helms and Jake Whitaker of the University of North Carolina Charlotte were invited by virtue of their 2014 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship win in August 2014.
The rest of the teams were selected by their respective schools, all of which are in the host state of South Carolina.
The anglers will take off from South Cove Park in Seneca at 7 a.m., Feb. 22. After their day of fishing is complete, they’ll weigh in on the Bassmaster Classic stage, right before the Classic contenders come across the stage. The weigh-in will be broadcast live on Bassmaster.com.
Here is the list of contenders in the 2015 Bassmaster College Classic:
Briggs Kennington and Isaac Nesbitt, Clemson University
Dean Legg and Spencer Waldrop, Clemson University
John Duarte and Jonathan Kelley, Coastal Carolina University
Ben Stone and Collin Smith, Lander University
Gettys Brannon and Tom Brewbaker, University of South Carolina
Hampton Anderson and Josh Rennebaum, University of South Carolina
Andrew Helms and Jake Whitaker, University of North Carolina Charlotte
Andrew Warbington and Mitch Brumbeloe, University of West Alabama
