New College Bass Champ

Jeremy Reese makes a custom lure that he calls, half-jokingly, “the moneymaker.” Trent Gephardt, Reese’s University of Arkansas-Little Rock fishing club teammate in the Under Armour College Bass National Championship this week, had another description for it, after the pair rode it to a tournament-best 21.07-pound sack to claim the national title.

“He has a magic jig that works on everything around here,” Gephardt said.

On the final day, the Trojans rode it to the title, storming past the 17.40-pound stringer caught by Texas A&M’s Andrew Shafer and Scott Edmonds.

Of the 54 teams who qualified for the championships, only the five with the highest combined weights on two days on the 8,900-acre Lake Maumelle advanced to fish Day Three on what was billed as a “mystery lake.” It turned out to be a couple of stocked ponds east of Little Rock that presented about 15 acres of water and a variety of options: hydrilla, underwater structure, trees.

For all the talk of a hometown advantage in the championship, UALR’s Reese and Gephardt hadn’t seen any more of the fishing there than any of the other competitors. Their natural-colored half-ounce jig - built for the Arkansas River and deployed on several area lakes - might have been the closest they came to local knowledge.

They had finishing fifth after two days, and resolved to simply fish for grins on the final day - especially after being told on stage, erroneously, that a fish-care penalty would prevent them from advancing.

“That was the biggest of highs, followed by the lowest of lows, followed by the biggest of highs again,” Gephardt said.

Even with last pick of holes in a five-hole format, the Trojans managed to whack a 4-pounder and a 5-pounder before 7:30 a.m. They were in great shape. Then the bite dried up, and they didn’t catch another keeper for hours.

After Gephardt missed a couple of fish midday, Reese said, the pair of fisheries biology majors backed off and told themselves, “let’s keep it simple.” By the time the next shotgun blast signaled time to rotate fishing holes, Reese was putting a 3-pounder in the livewell.

He soon caught another keeper after the fish got hung up in some trees. “Nine times out of 10, that goes the other way,” Reese said.

The runner-up Aggies missed a couple of fish that might have put a scare into the Trojans, but they also had to make a major move to finish as well as they did.

By the last hole, they were targeting trees that they realized had been pounded all day long. Instead, they backed off to an underwater “hump” that dropped from about 6 feet deep down to 9 with baitfish suspended around it.

Nearby, Edmonds found a stump that he dragged a jig across until a 5-pounder - the biggest caught on the day - busted on it. Between that and a second fish caught just after, the Aggies upgraded 6 pounds in the final 20 minutes.

Weights were zeroed for Day Three, yet it was curious to note that the five teams who fished the final day finished in the reverse order of where they qualified.

Faulkner State University’s Kyle Tindol and Michael Eubanks held onto third, with 17.22 pounds; the University of Alabama’s Foster Bradley and Jeff Aul managed fourth, with 14.50 pounds; and after dominating on the first two tournament days, Richard Peek and Adam Murphee of Auburn University slid to fifth place with only three fish that weighed 9.33 pounds.

“We never made the adjustments we had to make,” Murphee said from the weigh-in stage. “We were fishing 30-feet deep in 9 feet of water.”

After the weigh-in, Gephardt was beaming at their having beaten a field full of bigger schools for the championship,

“It’s amazing to come into (the finals of) an event like this and beat three other major Division I schools,” he said. “And we beat the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville. I’ve always been a Hog fan, but I was glad to beat them at this.”

For more information, visit www.CollegeBass.com.

–Sam Eifling

Anglers of Tomorrow

The Under Armour College Bass National Championship, the nation’s most prestigious collegiate bass fishing tournament, today announced the launch of their new, community-focused initiative to be held on July 7, prior to the start of the 2008 championship. Anglers of Tomorrow presented by Costa Del Mar will allow local youth to learn from the country’s top young anglers at a free fishing and conservation clinic taught by the collegiate competitors themselves.

“The Under Armour College Bass National Championship was created as a way to promote bass fishing at the college level and increase interest in the sport,” said Steve Levi, general manager of fishing properties at Career Sports & Entertainment, the agency that owns the CBNC. “By pairing collegiate anglers with even younger fans of fishing, we have the chance to instill in kids a love for the outdoors at an early age.”

Anglers of Tomorrow presented by Costa Del Mar will make its debut on Monday, July 7 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at the Academy Sports + Outdoors in Little Rock (11400 West Markham). Ages seven and up are welcome and all attendees will receive a goodie bag and a photo with the anglers upon completion. The collegiate anglers will also be joined by Costa Del Mar Elite Series Pros Jason Quinn, Kevin Short and Todd Faircloth, who will be on hand to sign autographs and hold a drawing for a free pair of Costa Del Mar sunglasses.

In addition, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and the Black Bass Program will be on hand to display their 1,000 gallon Mobile Aquarium to showcase the black bass and other Arkansas freshwater species. The AGFC is partnering with the Under Armour College Bass National Championship to supply a live release boat and fish care life support system for each day of the event.

Now in its fourth year, the Under Armour College Bass National Championship has become the nation’s most prestigious collegiate tournament for bass fishing. This year’s event will feature approximately 56 teams representing colleges and universities across the United States and will air on ESPNU later this summer.

To attend Anglers of Tomorrow presented by Costa Del Mar, RSVP to Melanie Jarrett at mjarrett@careersports.com. For more information and upcoming announcements visit www.CollegeBass.com.

Anglers of Tomorrow presented by Costa Del Mar

When: Monday, July 7 from 4:30 - 6 p.m.
Where: Academy Sports + Outdoors

11400 West Markham
Little Rock, Ark. 72211

Who: Local youth (free admission)

About the Under Armour College Bass National Championship:

Created in 2004, the Under Armour College Bass National Championship has quickly evolved into the most prestigious collegiate championship for bass fishing. This year’s event will feature approximately 56 teams representing colleges across the United States. The 2008 event will be televised on ESPNU this summer.

Sponsors of the 2008 Under Armour College Bass National Championship include Under Armour, Academy Sports + Outdoors, Strike King, Costa Del Mar, Motorguide, Triton Boats, Mercury and Falcon Rods.

About Under Armour, Inc.

Under Armour® (NYSE: UA) is a leading developer, marketer, and distributor of branded performance apparel, footwear, and accessories. The brand’s moisture-wicking synthetic fabrications are engineered in many different designs and styles for wear in nearly every climate to provide a performance alternative to traditional natural fiber products. The Company’s products are sold worldwide and worn by athletes at all levels, from youth to professional, on playing fields around the globe. The Under Armour global headquarters is in Baltimore, Maryland, with European headquarters in Amsterdam’s Olympic Stadium, and additional offices in Denver, Hong Kong, Toronto, and Guangzhou, China. For further information, please visit the Company’s website at www.underarmour.com.

Versus Advances Collegiate Fishing

Officials from Careco Multimedia, The Bass Federation Inc. and VERSUS today announced plans for the new Association of Collegiate Anglers Bass Fishing Series (CBFS) designed to establish the sport as a long-term, sustainable activity.  The series, featuring 13 half-hour shows, is produced by Careco Multimedia and will air weekend mornings on VERSUS beginning July 2009.

Recently, The Bass Federation (TBF) formed the Association of Collegiate Anglers (ACA) using its own structure as the foundation, where clubs become associated through membership and obtain benefits. The purpose of ACA is to support every aspect of college bass fishing from developing new clubs to sanctioning events to qualifying championship contenders.  The Bass Federation, with nearly 30,000 members among 47 states, is the nation’s oldest and largest organized fishing group.

“While we’re excited to see all the interest in college bass fishing, this program differs by having a student membership organization, the ACA, serving as its presenting sponsor and governing body,” said Wade Middleton, Careco general manager and a person recognized throughout the outdoor industry as being a formidable force behind today’s college bass movement. “Student anglers must have a role in where college fishing goes.”

Middleton added, “Here teams can advance through qualifying regional events to a championship where they compete head-to-head on a level playing field for top bragging rights. There’s nothing like college rivalries, and partnering with VERSUS now gives the teams a stage to showcase their skills on national television.”

Teams can earn their way into the new series’ championship through top finishes in official qualifying events. Some of these will be hosted by CBFS and others by college fishing clubs, but all are sanctioned by ACA.  The events are open to active members of school-recognized fishing clubs and who are taking at least 12 credit hours while maintaining a GPA of 2.0 or higher. Event participants are not required to be ACA members, but for a school club to host a sanctioned qualifying event, it must belong to ACA.

It is anticipated that more than 600 college anglers, representing approximately 120 college fishing programs, will compete in the 2009 CBFS qualifiers to vie for the 40 two-person-team spots available in the CBFS Championship.  Among the total prizes are $35,000 in scholarships, to be distributed among the top five teams.  As a general rule, college fishing events have either no entry fees or ones that are minimal.  A team consists of two anglers fishing from the same boat, and they are responsible for full operation of the boat.

“These college anglers are competing because they love to fish and they want to get to the championship to represent their school,” explained TBF president Robert Cartlidge. “Sure, they like to win prizes, but their ultimate goal is to have a shot at the national title, plus some of the scholarships. Winners also get a berth in TBF’s National Championship.”

Officials at BoatU.S., a prominent sponsor of college bass fishing for the past few years, say they see the new series being an evolutionary step for the sport. “We’ve always been excited about this activity and we believe the transition to the new format will again take it up another level,” said BoatU.S.’ Chris Edmonston. “We are very proud to support the growth of college fishing.”

Additional CBFS national sponsors include BoatU.S. Angler, Cabela’s, Ranger Boats, Yamaha, Garmin, Costa Del Mar, Pioneer Beef Jerky, Abu Garcia, Berkley, Fenwick, Anglers’ Legacy, Stearns, EGO Nets, Sebile, American Rodsmiths, Aviva Fishin’ Buddy, Gene Larew Lures, Nemire Lures, Sperry Top-Sider, Power Pole, City of Lewisville, Sneaky Pete’s Marina and Versus.

The 2009 schedule of qualifying events follows:

Dec. 19-20 (2008) - Stephen F. Austin University Invitational, Sam Rayburn (TX)

March 7 - NC State/Virginia Tech Invitational, Smith Mountain Lake (NC)

Mar 13-14 - Lone Star Spring Breakout, Belton Lake (TX)

Mar 20-21 - Arkansas Tech Invitational, Lake Dardanelle (AR)

April 17-18 - S. Collegiate Bass Fishing Series Championship, Lake Wilson (AL)

TBA - Midwest Invitational, TBA

TBA - Western Invitational, TBA

June 1- 5 - BoatU.S. Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship, Lake Lewisville (TX)

For more information about the ACA, visit www.bassfederation.com.

About Careco
Careco Multimedia is a full-service video production company experienced in field acquisition and editing of top quality outdoor programming. The company produces and markets several outdoor fishing programs, including Fishing and Hunting Texas, Americana Outdoors, Whitetail Diaries, the IFA Redfish Tour and more.

About VERSUS
VERSUS celebrates real competition across all platforms (VERSUS.com, VERSUS on Demand and VERSUS HD).  Now in more than 73 million homes, the network is the national cable home of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Stanley Cup Playoffs as well as best-in-class events such as The Tour de France, Davis Cup Tennis, the Professional Bull Riders (PBR), World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) and Professional Boxing.  The network also offers collegiate sports featuring nationally-ranked teams from top conferences such as the Pac-10, Big 12 and Mountain West. VERSUS features the best field sports programming on television and is a destination for sports fans, athletes and sportsmen to find exclusive, competitive events that audiences can’t find elsewhere.  VERSUS, a wholly owned company of Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA, CMCSK), is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States.

Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship

This summer, approximately 112 collegiate bass anglers will compete in the 2008 Under Armour College Bass National Championship. From July 9 - 10, the anglers will fish Lake Maumelle in Little Rock, Arkansas. After the Day Two weigh-in on July 10, the tournament will move to a mystery lake that will be new to all competitors for the final day of competition on July 11. CollegeBass.com will stream daily weigh-ins live, and complete tournament coverage will air on ESPNU later this summer.

The three-day tournament showcases more than 50 of the top collegiate bass fishing teams in the country including Arizona State University, Auburn University, and The University of Tennessee, competing for thousands of dollars in scholarship money and the chance to secure their legacy as national champions. Last year’s winners were Scott Wiley and Brett Thompson of Virginia Tech, who took the title with an 8.8 pound bag.

“Under Armour is proud to support these college students as they pursue their passion for bass fishing,” said Kip Fulks, Under Armour’s Senior Vice President of Outdoor and Innovation. “This is an authentic college tournament that allows us to outfit young anglers with Under Armour’s technically advanced performance apparel to ensure that each outdoor athlete is able to perform at their highest level.”

Student anglers qualify their two-person team through sanctioned campus club tournaments held earlier in the year, and then go on to face the best from competing colleges and universities across the country. Anglers from each participating school will fish for large-mouth and spotted bass 12 inches or longer, with a five-fish limit. Teams will fish a standard three-day format, with the field narrowed down to the top five teams on the final day. Weights will then be zeroed, and the largest one-day total on the final day will take the title.

“The Under Armour College Bass National Championship was created to support bass fishing at the college club level, and our incredible growth every single year proves just how popular this sport is among college students,” said Steve Levi, general manager of fishing properties for Career Sports & Entertainment, the integrated sports and entertainment agency that developed the tournament. “The beauty of the event is that we’ve created a level playing field that allows small and large schools to compete against each other, and just about every college or university in the country can participate. I can’t think of another college sport where that is true.”

For more information, visit www.CollegeBass.com.

Participating Schools:

*Arizona State University

*St. Ambrose University

*Arkansas Tech University

Stephen F. Austin University

Auburn University

Tarleton State University

*Ball State University

*Texas A&M University

*Baylor University

*Texas Tech University

Brown College

Truman State University

Concord University

*University of Alabama

*Drury University

University of Alabama - Birmingham

*Eastern Kentucky University

University of Arkansas - Fayetteville

*Faulkner University

University of Arkansas - Little Rock

Florida Atlantic University

University of Kentucky

Freed-Hardeman University

*University of Illinois

Georgia College & State University

*University of Iowa

Georgia Southern University

*University of Louisiana-Lafayette

Indiana University - Bloomington

*University of Louisville

Iowa State University

University of Mississippi

Jefferson State Community College

University of Montevallo

*Kansas State University

*University of Oklahoma

Louisiana Tech University

University of South Alabama

Milwaukee School of Engineering

*University of Tennessee - Knoxville

*Murray State University

*University of Tennessee - Martin

*North Carolina State University

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Northwestern State University

University of Wisconsin - Madison

*Pittsburg State University

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

*Purdue University

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

*Southeast Missouri State University

*University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

*Southern Illinois University - Carbondale

*Virginia Tech University

Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville

*Western Kentucky University

*Competed in the 2007 Under Armour College Bass National Championship

About the Under Armour College Bass National Championship:

Created in 2004, the Under Armour College Bass National Championship has quickly evolved into the most prestigious collegiate championship for bass fishing. This year’s event will feature approximately 56 teams representing colleges across the United States. The 2008 event will be televised on ESPNU this summer.

Sponsors of the 2008 Under Armour College Bass National Championship include Under Armour, Academy Sports + Outdoors, Strike King, The Charmer Sunbelt Group, Costa Del Mar, Motorguide, Triton Boats, Mercury and Falcon Rods.

About Under Armour, Inc.

Under Armour® (NYSE: UA) is a leading developer, marketer, and distributor of branded performance apparel, footwear, and accessories. The brand’s moisture-wicking synthetic fabrications are engineered in many different designs and styles for wear in nearly every climate to provide a performance alternative to traditional natural fiber products. The Company’s products are sold worldwide and worn by athletes at all levels, from youth to professional, on playing fields around the globe. The Under Armour global headquarters is in Baltimore, Maryland, with European headquarters in Amsterdam’s Olympic Stadium, and additional offices in Denver, Hong Kong, Toronto, and Guangzhou, China. For further information, please visit the Company’s website at www.underarmour.com.