Anderson, SC (April 14, 2024) – Tournament competition is complete for the first Association of Collegiate Anglers event on the 2024 Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series.  A full field of close to 500 anglers competed on Lake Hartwell in Anderson, SC, in hopes of catching a limit of bass that could help propel them into the Top 20 to earn a prize payout, or even win the no-entry-fee event that paid out over $20,000 in prizes and contingencies.

Easton Fothergill & Nicholas Dumke from 2nd ranked University of Montevallo win the Hartwell Slam with a total weight of 34.48 pounds.  Following Day 1 of tournament competition, the duo was in 4th place out of the 220 boat field.  On the final day, Dumke & Fothergill weighed 15.92 pounds to take home top honors.  The victory pays out over $3,500 in prizes and contingencies, as well as 1,750 points to count towards the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.

View the final tournament standings.

Finishing the event in 2nd are Ryan Lachniet & Tavin Hodgens from 3rd ranked Campbellsville University.  Sitting in 20th after Day 1, Lachniet & Hodgens weighed in 16.51 pounds on the final day to jump 18 places.  Entering this event ranked 3rd, Campbellsville finishes the Hartwell Slam with two teams in the Top 12.  Those could prove to be valuable points as the team from Kentucky looks to have its highest-ever end of year ranking during the 2023-24 campaign.

Rounding out the Top 3 are Nick Owens & Quade Lobo from 14th ranked Adrian College.  The anglers from Michigan were in 5th after Day 1. With a two-day total of 32.40 pounds, the Adrian College anglers finished in 3rd overall.  Adrian College’s two highest-finishing teams placed 3rd and 9th.  Sitting in 14th in college fishing’s only all-encompassing National Rankings system, these two Top 10 finishes could help Adrian College to make a major jump up in the standings.

The full field of anglers again found great success out on Lake Hartwell.  Weather conditions mirrored those which anglers faced on Day 1, allowing them to lock in a pattern and target a lot of bites.  The sheer amount of fish caught and weighed in by the field speaks to the quality of the fishery which Lake Hartwell is.  All total, for the weekend, anglers weighed in almost 2,000 bass.

Stay tuned to the ACA website, and social media pages, for in-depth breakdowns, feature articles, and video footage of the Hartwell Slam.  The ACA will update the points standings for the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia this upcoming week, to include complete analysis of the newest rankings.

The ACA would again like to thank the team at Visit Anderson for their assistance with the event this weekend, and helping to provide a phenomenal facility for the anglers to utilize.

Visit the ACA website for complete story.