City of Lewisville National Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship returns to Lewisville on Sept. 18-20

National Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship returns to Lewisville
Tuesday, September 09, 2008

More than 100 two-person teams representing 57 colleges from 23 states have registered for the third BoatUS National Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship, scheduled for Sept. 18-20 at Lewisville Lake and presented by Fox College Sports.

Colleges represented in the field include 11 from within the Lone Star State: Baylor, Lamar, Sam Houston State, Stephen F. Austin State, Tarleton State, Texas A&M, Texas A&M at Kingsville, Texas Tech, University of North Texas, University of Texas and University of Texas at Arlington. Texas A&M is the defending champion.

Other schools come from such renowned athletic conferences as the Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10 and Southeastern Conference. Teams are competing for more than $35,000 in scholarships and prizes.

North Carolina State won the inaugural event in 2006 and Texas A&M teammates Justin Rackley and Trevor Knight won last year’s tournament, both held at Lewisville Lake. Knight has graduated, but Rackley is returning this year with a new partner and hopes to defend his share of the title.

“Trevor and I lifting the trophy over our heads last year was an unbelievable experience that I’ll never forget,” Rackley said. “It’s something I’d like to do again this year.”

Tournament director Wade Middleton, a longtime television fishing show host, said the nature of fishing makes every entrant a legitimate contender for the title.

“This is fishing, and bass don’t really care about who’s on the other end of the line,” Middleton said. “That’s the beauty of this sport and why the field can be so diverse and every team has a chance of winning.”

This year’s entrants also include some co-ed anglers, such as Tiffany Spencer from the University of Texas at Arlington, again showing the equality inherent in sport fishing.

For teams to be eligible to compete in the National Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship, they must be officially recognized school fishing programs. Each team is allowed to weigh-in five bass per day measuring at least 14 inches for largemouth and 12 inches for spotted bass. Team standings are based on cumulative total weights each day.

The championship will be featured along with several other collegiate regional bass fishing events as part of the 13-episode NCBFC television series, produced by Careco Multimedia in conjunction with Fox College Sports, that begins airing in early October on Fox College Sports and affiliated networks.

Lewisville Lake is located 20 minutes north of downtown Dallas along Interstate 35E. Created in 1954 on the Elm Fork of the Trinity River, the lake covers nearly 30,000 acres of surface area and reaches depths of up to 67 feet. Lewisville Lake is rated as “excellent” by Texas Parks & Wildlife for catfish, crappie and white bass, and “good” for largemouth bass and striped/hybrid bass.

Practice days will be Monday through Wednesday, Sept. 15-17, with the competition starting at dawn Thursday. The full field will compete on Thursday and Friday, and the top five teams will decide the championship on Saturday competing from equally rigged Ranger Z-21 bass boats with Yamaha outboards, MotorGuide trolling motors and Garmin electronics.

Tournament launches and 3 p.m. weigh-ins will be held each day at Sneaky Pete’s Resort, #2 Eagle Point Marina in Lewisville. The lakeside facility includes full-service restaurant and bar, beach area, outdoor swimming pool, sand volleyball, boat slips, and live music on the weekends. For information, call 972.434.2500.

For more information, please visit www.collegiatebasschampionship.com.

Media contact: Tournament Chairman Wade Middleton, 210.697.8081 or 251.948.2960
Media contact: Fox College Sports Publicist Gary Dollahon, 866.907.1605
Media contact: Community Relations & Tourism Director James Kunke, 972.219.3726

Registered Schools (by state)

ALABAMA

Auburn University

Faulkner University
Troy University
University of Alabama
University of Alabama-Birmingham
University of Montevallo
University of South Alabama

ARIZONA

Arizona State

ARKANSAS

Arkansas Tech

University of Arkansas

COLORADO

Metropolitan State College of Denver

FLORIDA

University of Central Florida

Webber International University

GEORGIA

Georgia College & State University

INDIANA

Ball State University

Indiana University

Purdue University

ILLINOIS

Southern Illinois University

IOWA

University of Iowa

KANSAS

Kansas State

KENTUCKY

Eastern Kentucky University

Murray State University
University of Kentucky
University of Louisville
Western Kentucky University

LOUISIANA

Louisiana State University-Shreveport

Louisiana Tech University
Northwestern State University
University of Louisiana-Lafayette

MISSOURI

Drury University
Southeast Missouri State University

MISSISSIPPI

Mississippi State University
University of Mississippi

NEBRASKA

University of Nebraska

NORTH CAROLINA

North Carolina State University

OKLAHOMA

Oklahoma State University
University of Oklahoma

OREGON

University of Oregon

PENNSYLVANIA

Penn State

TENNESSEE

Freed - Hardeman University
University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee-Martin

TEXAS

Baylor University
Lamar University
Sam Houston State
Stephen F. Austin State University
Tarleton State University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Texas Tech

University of North Texas
University of Texas

University of Texas-Arlington

VIRGINIA

Virginia Tech

WISCONSIN

University of Wisconsin-Madison
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point