Anderson, SC (May 25, 2023) – Day 1 of tournament competition is complete at the 18^th annual BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops.  College fishing’s longest-running National Championship event saw nearly 400 of the top collegiate anglers in the nation take out on to Lake Hartwell from Green Pond Landing.  Teams are in search of the best five bass limits they can bring to the scales, in pursuit of a National Championship title and the coveted Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.

Tucker Smith and Hayden Marbut, of Auburn University, staked claim to the Day 1 lead with a five bass limit weighing 21.06 lbs.  Carson-Newman University anglers, Drake Hemby and Ewing Minor are in second with 19.46 lbs.  Anglers Kai Barnett and Tucker Siminak, from McKendree University, weighed in 17.09 lbs. to secure third place.

181 teams, comprised of the top elite college anglers, competed on Day 1 of the tournament.  Following a week of stable conditions, anglers were greeted once again by a mix of clouds and sun, with manageable winds.  Anglers were able to take advantage of a variety of patterns, targeting schooling bass up shallow on a herring bite, working their way down the bank with their confidence baits, as well as using electronics to locate quality largemouth and spotted bass out over deep and shallow structure.  Lake Hartwell produced enough bass to send 170 teams out of 181 teams across the stage to weigh in their catches.

The 2023 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops is the final event of the season in the race for Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.  23 of the nation’s Top 25 teams are on-hand to compete in this triple points event.  Following Day 1 of competition, numerous boats representing the top teams are near the top of the standings.  With Auburn currently in second place for school of the year, a victory here could certainly tighten the race.  Current SOY leaders, University of Montevallo also has three teams inside the current Top 20, after Day 1, so the final results may come down to Friday’s competition. Following the conclusion of Day 2 weigh-in tomorrow, the ACA will finalize the points standings for this season; awarding the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia, acknowledging the Top 3 on-site at Green Pond Landing, and announcing the Top 25 ranked teams.

The full field will take off from Green Pond Landing on Friday, with the first flight starting at 6:00 AM (ET).  Live blog coverage will begin first thing tomorrow morning, and live weigh-in coverage will be on Outdoor Action beginning at 2:00 PM (ET).