Alabama’s University of Montevallo wins 2021 national fishing championship

The University of Montevallo’s bass fishing team outfished more than 200 other collegiate fishing programs this season and reeled in the national championship for 2020-21.

After taking over the top ranking in November, Montevallo never relinquished its lead, ultimately earning the distinction of Bass Pro Shops School of the Year.

“I am extremely proud of what this team has accomplished. These guys have been so focused since the season started,” said William Crawford, Outdoor Scholars Program director and bass team campus adviser. “We had the goal at the beginning of the year to be the No. 1 team in the country, and since November they have done just that.”

Throughout the year, the Montevallo fishing team competed in tournaments against some of the largest universities in the nation and earned points based on its performance. Following the final tournament of the season at Lake Murray in South Carolina on May 27, UM had amassed the most cumulative points of any team in the nation, taking home the team’s first School of the Year honor.

Montevallo finished second in last season’s School of the Year rankings. This season, the team knocked off two-time defending national champion McKendree University of Lebanon, Illinois, and topped large universities, such as the University of Tennessee, Auburn University and East Carolina University, en route to this year’s national crown.

Here are the full national standings for the 2020-2021 season.

The 2020-2021 University of Montevallo bass fishing team

Justin Barnes, senior, Monroeville

Jarrett Brown, senior, Montevallo

Adam Carroll, senior, Carrollton, Georgia

Tyler Harless, senior, Helena

Miller Spivey, senior, Tyler

Hunter Ward, senior, Rockford

Weston Hollar, junior, Dadeville

Jack Baron, junior, Arnold, Maryland

Cal Culpepper, junior, Hamilton, Georgia

Trey Dickert, junior, Greer, South Carolina

Cade Holcomb, junior, Helena

Bradley Martin, junior, Pace, Florida

Da’Kendrick Patterson, junior, Ramer

Kopeland Rosser, junior, Helena

Elliot Torode, junior, Montgomery

Drew Traffanstedt, junior, Hoover

Mason Waddell, junior, Waverly Hall, Georgia

Cole Dodson, sophomore, Gardendale

Merritt Arnold, sophomore, Warkinsville, Georgia

Jaxson Brown, sophomore, Birmingham

Tyler Cain, sophomore, Bessemer

Josiah Campbell, sophomore, Pelham

Solomon Glenn, sophomore, Lakeville, Minnesota

Wesley Gore, sophomore, Clanton

Trent Jones, sophomore, Thorsby

Ethan King, sophomore, Wilsonville

Grayson Morris, sophomore, Birmingham

Chandler Olivier, sophomore, Maylene

Griffin Phillips, sophomore, Mount Olive

Chance Schwartz, sophomore, Ball Ground, Georgia

James Willoughby, sophomore, Gulf Port, Mississippi

Kyle Bahr, freshman, Brainerd, Minnesota

Aaron Cherry, freshman, Kinsey

Tyler Cory, freshman, Amherst, Wisconsin

Nick Dumke, freshman, Grand Rapids, Minnesota

Tanner English, freshman, Centerville

Easton Fothergill, freshman, Grand Rapids, Minnesota

Brenton Godwin, freshman, Stapleton

Brock Gullixon, freshman, Iola, Wisconsin

Chandler Holt, freshman, Sterrett

Andrew Howell, freshman, Pisgah Forest, North Carolina

Tommy Loper, freshman, Perkinston, Mississippi

Hagan Marlin, freshman, Opelika

Hunter Odom, freshman, Chunchula

Jordan Pennington, freshman, Bessemer

Jacob Pfundt, freshman, Canton, Georgia

Jackson Pontius, freshman, Wilsonville

Scott Sledge, freshman, Greenwood, Indiana

Davian Smith, freshman, Eufaula

Ryan Thomas, freshman, Madison, Georgia

Riley Underwood, freshman, Hoover

(Courtesy of Alabama NewsCenter)