By staff reports, The Decatur Daily
For the second straight day, the North Alabama softball team had to settle for a split at the Gulf South Conference Crossover after winning the early contest and dropping the second.
Following a 2-1 extra-inning victory over Ouachita Baptist, the Lions were unable to plate a run in a 2-0 loss to Delta State on Saturday at Wilson Morgan Park.
The split by UNA, along with a pair of one-run wins by West Alabama on the same day, puts the two teams back into a tie for the fourth-and-final East Division spot for the GSC tournament. Both teams own a 7-11 conference record with two crossover games and six division games remaining, including a double-header between the two teams on the UWA campus.
In the first game on Saturday, the Lions pounded out 11 hits but needed a two-out single by Andrea Palmer to score the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning. The hit scored Heather Suddoth from third base and secured the win.
Jennifer Sexton went the distance in the circle for North Alabama, pitching all nine innings and scattering five hits. With the win, the senior improves to 14-11, while her eight strikeouts ups her season total to a GSC-leading 185 on the year.
Maggie Eades was 3-for-4 at the plate while Ally Pridmore, Suddoth and Natalie Harrison each posted 2-for-4 showings.
In the second game, Delta State’s Edie Oliver won a 2-0 pitching duel over UNA’s Laurin Watts. Oliver tossed seven innings in the complete-game shutout and added a pair of strikeouts to get the win.
The Lions will close out play at the crossover with a pair of games on Sunday. UNA will take on Arkansas-Monticello at noon, then face Christian Brothers at 2 p.m.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Cajunfest part of downtown celebration April 16
Seafood dinner tickets available through Friday
By Andrea Brunty, Living editor, The Decatur Daily
Cajunfest will return to Rhodes Ferry Park on April 16 as part of a downtown celebration in Decatur.
The Decatur Jaycees will host the event, which features seafood, music and art, in partnership with 3rd Friday Downtown and Fri@5 at the Carnegie Visual Arts Center.
“We wanted to support what they were already doing and help bring people downtown and bring it down to the river and have it be a little more intimate,” said Jaycee Heather Thompson, event co-chair with Ken Hess of Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q.
The festival, sponsored by Valley Budweiser and Pepsi, will be from 5 to 9 p.m.
Roland’s Cajun Catering in Huntsville will bring fresh crawfish and shrimp from the Gulf on the day of the event.
The $25 dinner ticket will also include sausage, potatoes, corn, jambalaya and two drinks. The deadline to purchase tickets is Friday.
This year, Thompson expects to sell about 150 tickets. She said a limited amount of tickets will be available next week. Last year, the event drew almost 500 people because it was held in conjunction with the Bassmaster Elite Series at Ingalls Harbor.
Tickets are available at www.decaturjaycees.com, Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce, Bank Street Antique Mall, Sugar Magnolia’s and The Paper Chase. Call Thompson at 256-338-3272 for information.
If you don’t have a dinner ticket, however, you can still hear a zydeco band play for free. The Nashville-based band Roux du Bayou will return for its third annual Cajunfest.
“The crowd just really liked (the band), and they really wanted to come back,” Thompson said.
Local artists will display and sell their work in an art walk.
The Jaycees decided to invite nonprofits like Parents and Children Together, Families and Children Experiencing Separation and Habitat for the Humanity to offer information and raise awareness at booths.
“We wanted to shine a spotlight on what they’re doing,” Thompson said. “That’s kind of why we exist — to support them (through volunteering and raising funds).”
3rd Friday, Fri@5
Cajunfest is one of three downtown events happening within four blocks of each other April 16.
The 3rd Friday Downtown will kick off at 3 p.m. with special sales at downtown merchants along Bank Street, Second Avenue and several side streets until 8 p.m., said Gloria Arthur of Bank Street Antique Mall.
Live entertainment will include country/gospel vocalist Steve Partridge and guitarist David Higginbotham on Bank Street and music in front of Willis Gray Gallery on Second Avenue.
At Oak and Church streets, the Carnegie Visual Arts Center will host its monthly Fri@5 artists’ reception featuring the exhibit “Out of the Kitchen.” The 5-8 p.m. event costs $15 for guests and $5 for members and includes wine and appetizers.
MCATS buses will run to each event April 16, Arthur said.
By Andrea Brunty, Living editor, The Decatur Daily
Cajunfest will return to Rhodes Ferry Park on April 16 as part of a downtown celebration in Decatur.
The Decatur Jaycees will host the event, which features seafood, music and art, in partnership with 3rd Friday Downtown and Fri@5 at the Carnegie Visual Arts Center.
“We wanted to support what they were already doing and help bring people downtown and bring it down to the river and have it be a little more intimate,” said Jaycee Heather Thompson, event co-chair with Ken Hess of Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q.
The festival, sponsored by Valley Budweiser and Pepsi, will be from 5 to 9 p.m.
Roland’s Cajun Catering in Huntsville will bring fresh crawfish and shrimp from the Gulf on the day of the event.
The $25 dinner ticket will also include sausage, potatoes, corn, jambalaya and two drinks. The deadline to purchase tickets is Friday.
This year, Thompson expects to sell about 150 tickets. She said a limited amount of tickets will be available next week. Last year, the event drew almost 500 people because it was held in conjunction with the Bassmaster Elite Series at Ingalls Harbor.
Tickets are available at www.decaturjaycees.com, Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce, Bank Street Antique Mall, Sugar Magnolia’s and The Paper Chase. Call Thompson at 256-338-3272 for information.
If you don’t have a dinner ticket, however, you can still hear a zydeco band play for free. The Nashville-based band Roux du Bayou will return for its third annual Cajunfest.
“The crowd just really liked (the band), and they really wanted to come back,” Thompson said.
Local artists will display and sell their work in an art walk.
The Jaycees decided to invite nonprofits like Parents and Children Together, Families and Children Experiencing Separation and Habitat for the Humanity to offer information and raise awareness at booths.
“We wanted to shine a spotlight on what they’re doing,” Thompson said. “That’s kind of why we exist — to support them (through volunteering and raising funds).”
3rd Friday, Fri@5
Cajunfest is one of three downtown events happening within four blocks of each other April 16.
The 3rd Friday Downtown will kick off at 3 p.m. with special sales at downtown merchants along Bank Street, Second Avenue and several side streets until 8 p.m., said Gloria Arthur of Bank Street Antique Mall.
Live entertainment will include country/gospel vocalist Steve Partridge and guitarist David Higginbotham on Bank Street and music in front of Willis Gray Gallery on Second Avenue.
At Oak and Church streets, the Carnegie Visual Arts Center will host its monthly Fri@5 artists’ reception featuring the exhibit “Out of the Kitchen.” The 5-8 p.m. event costs $15 for guests and $5 for members and includes wine and appetizers.
MCATS buses will run to each event April 16, Arthur said.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Southern bass college cup goes to Tennessee Vols
By Paul Stackhouse, Sports Writer, The Decatur Daily
Eight happy anglers clad in bright orange shirts couldn’t help themselves.
As emcee and tournament director Jann Swaim announced that the University of Tennessee had won the Southern Collegiate Bass Championship on Wheeler Lake, the eight fishermen cheered as they climbed on the stage at Decatur’s Ingalls Harbor on Saturday.
Tennessee finished with a two-day total of 43.07 pounds of bass to claim the large golden cup that goes to the champion. The Vols barely beat out two other schools, both from the state of Tennessee.
Tennessee Tech finished in second place with 42.85 pounds, while Chattanooga came in third at 41.98.
“This is so surreal for me,” Tennessee freshman Hunter Shults said. “Believe it or not, this is only my second tournament with the team and now I’m a member of a championship team.
“We felt pretty good about our chances last night, but then we had like a two-hour weather delay this morning before anybody could launch their boat. We got a little bit nervous about that, but not too much.”
The cup now belongs to Tennessee for one year. To keep it at their school, the Vols will have to win the same tournament again next year. Montevallo won in 2008, followed by North Alabama last year.
The Tennessee team also will receive two paid motel rooms (five days, five nights) at the Boat U.S. National Championships, which will be in May in Lewisville, Texas.
College teams are allowed to bring as many as four two-man teams to the event, but only the top two weights were counted each day.
Shults and junior David Lambert were one of four teams that represented Tennessee in the tournament. The team brought in a five-bass limit to the scales that weighed 11.42 pounds on the first day and then 11.27 pounds Saturday.
Lambert said he and Shults found a good hole to fish, and that was the key in helping their team win.
“We caught a bass bigger than the 1-pounders that were biting a lot,” Lambert said. “But we weren’t fishing real shallow like most of the teams. We decided to work deeper water, and it paid off. The 4.6 we caught was in about 6 to 8 feet of water, and I caught it on a jig near a main river channel ledge.”
Northwest-Shoals placed fourth with 40.18 pounds, followed by Auburn (38.73), UNA (38.55), Kennesaw State (37.28), Alabama (35.95), Georgia (32.96) and Clemson (32.32).
UNA anglers Ryan Salzman of Decatur and Andy Page of Athens said the late start hurt their chances for a big bass.
“We fished the same spot that we did Friday,” Salzman said. “Some of the bigger fish were starting to move up, and we had a limit in about an hour. I think the bigger bass here are being caught real early now and the time we missed may have killed our chances at some kicker fish.”
Even though no big fish were caught, Page said the two anglers still had a great time.
“We probably caught 20 to 25 fish,” Page said. “We had to do a lot of culling and I mean culling by ounces because a lot of them were the same size fish.”
The big bass of the tournament was caught Friday by Auburn’s Jordan Lee. That fish tipped the scale at 5 pounds, 3 ounces.
Teams that fished in two of the three qualifying tournaments were allowed to participate in the championship.
The Versus network has announced plans to do a television show of the tournament, scheduled to run in August.
Southern Collegiate Bass Championship final results
Here are the final standings of the Southern Collegiate Bass Championships at Wheeler Lake and much bass each team caught in pounds.
School Day 1 Day 2 Total
1. Tennessee 20.22 22.85 43.07
2. Tennessee Tech 18.67 24.43 42.85
3. Chattanooga 20.46 21.52 41.98
4. Northwest-Shoals 22.59 17.59 41.98
5. Auburn 19.95 18.78 38.73
6. North Alabama 15.75 22.80 38.55
7. Kennesaw State 18.36 18.92 37.28
8. Alabama 19.42 16.53 35.95
9. Georgia 17.51 15.45 32.96
10. Clemson 17.01 15.31 32.32
11. Bethel University 11.28 17.41 28.69
12. Ole Miss 16.27 11.27 27.54
13. Birmingham-Southern 10.46 14.84 25.30
14. Jacksonville State 13.56 11.72 25.28
15. Middle Tennessee State 10.48 13.38 23.86
16. Gadsden State 11.09 12.67 23.76
17. UAB 8.87 14.58 23.45
18. Freed-Hardeman 14.26 9.09 23.35
19. Troy 10.29 11.86 22.15
20. Mississippi State 8.75 12.51 21.26
21. Georgia College 13.46 5.74 19.20
22. Austin Peay 5.99 12.04 18.03
23. South Alabama 9.26 3.20 12.46
Eight happy anglers clad in bright orange shirts couldn’t help themselves.
As emcee and tournament director Jann Swaim announced that the University of Tennessee had won the Southern Collegiate Bass Championship on Wheeler Lake, the eight fishermen cheered as they climbed on the stage at Decatur’s Ingalls Harbor on Saturday.
Tennessee finished with a two-day total of 43.07 pounds of bass to claim the large golden cup that goes to the champion. The Vols barely beat out two other schools, both from the state of Tennessee.
Tennessee Tech finished in second place with 42.85 pounds, while Chattanooga came in third at 41.98.
“This is so surreal for me,” Tennessee freshman Hunter Shults said. “Believe it or not, this is only my second tournament with the team and now I’m a member of a championship team.
“We felt pretty good about our chances last night, but then we had like a two-hour weather delay this morning before anybody could launch their boat. We got a little bit nervous about that, but not too much.”
The cup now belongs to Tennessee for one year. To keep it at their school, the Vols will have to win the same tournament again next year. Montevallo won in 2008, followed by North Alabama last year.
The Tennessee team also will receive two paid motel rooms (five days, five nights) at the Boat U.S. National Championships, which will be in May in Lewisville, Texas.
College teams are allowed to bring as many as four two-man teams to the event, but only the top two weights were counted each day.
Shults and junior David Lambert were one of four teams that represented Tennessee in the tournament. The team brought in a five-bass limit to the scales that weighed 11.42 pounds on the first day and then 11.27 pounds Saturday.
Lambert said he and Shults found a good hole to fish, and that was the key in helping their team win.
“We caught a bass bigger than the 1-pounders that were biting a lot,” Lambert said. “But we weren’t fishing real shallow like most of the teams. We decided to work deeper water, and it paid off. The 4.6 we caught was in about 6 to 8 feet of water, and I caught it on a jig near a main river channel ledge.”
Northwest-Shoals placed fourth with 40.18 pounds, followed by Auburn (38.73), UNA (38.55), Kennesaw State (37.28), Alabama (35.95), Georgia (32.96) and Clemson (32.32).
UNA anglers Ryan Salzman of Decatur and Andy Page of Athens said the late start hurt their chances for a big bass.
“We fished the same spot that we did Friday,” Salzman said. “Some of the bigger fish were starting to move up, and we had a limit in about an hour. I think the bigger bass here are being caught real early now and the time we missed may have killed our chances at some kicker fish.”
Even though no big fish were caught, Page said the two anglers still had a great time.
“We probably caught 20 to 25 fish,” Page said. “We had to do a lot of culling and I mean culling by ounces because a lot of them were the same size fish.”
The big bass of the tournament was caught Friday by Auburn’s Jordan Lee. That fish tipped the scale at 5 pounds, 3 ounces.
Teams that fished in two of the three qualifying tournaments were allowed to participate in the championship.
The Versus network has announced plans to do a television show of the tournament, scheduled to run in August.
Southern Collegiate Bass Championship final results
Here are the final standings of the Southern Collegiate Bass Championships at Wheeler Lake and much bass each team caught in pounds.
School Day 1 Day 2 Total
1. Tennessee 20.22 22.85 43.07
2. Tennessee Tech 18.67 24.43 42.85
3. Chattanooga 20.46 21.52 41.98
4. Northwest-Shoals 22.59 17.59 41.98
5. Auburn 19.95 18.78 38.73
6. North Alabama 15.75 22.80 38.55
7. Kennesaw State 18.36 18.92 37.28
8. Alabama 19.42 16.53 35.95
9. Georgia 17.51 15.45 32.96
10. Clemson 17.01 15.31 32.32
11. Bethel University 11.28 17.41 28.69
12. Ole Miss 16.27 11.27 27.54
13. Birmingham-Southern 10.46 14.84 25.30
14. Jacksonville State 13.56 11.72 25.28
15. Middle Tennessee State 10.48 13.38 23.86
16. Gadsden State 11.09 12.67 23.76
17. UAB 8.87 14.58 23.45
18. Freed-Hardeman 14.26 9.09 23.35
19. Troy 10.29 11.86 22.15
20. Mississippi State 8.75 12.51 21.26
21. Georgia College 13.46 5.74 19.20
22. Austin Peay 5.99 12.04 18.03
23. South Alabama 9.26 3.20 12.46
College bass touney full of fun for all
By Paul Stackhouse, Outdoors, The Decatur Daily
The Southern Collegiate Bass Championship at Ingalls Harbor in Decatur was something new and refreshing.
That’s not to say professional bass tournaments like those run by Bassmasters or FLW are boring, but the Southern Collegiate tournament offered a different scene, and the several hundred people in attendance seemed to enjoy every minute of it.
The tournament was started only three years ago, but it’s already built a nice base.
When the Bass Boss Ray Scott started tournament bass fishing in 1967, it grew and it grew fast. The bass fishing industry grows bigger each year with millions of people involved.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working the professional tournaments in which an angler could win $100,000 or even $500,000. I plan on continuing to follow the two major circuits closely. I enjoy writing about them just about as much as I enjoy fishing in a local tournament every now and then.
But now, colleges and even high schools are getting into the bass tournament scene. Both are in the beginning stages, but the possibilities are endless.
There were 117 anglers representing 23 colleges at the tournament. I spoke with many of the college students and found each one to be supportive of their team. Each one showed excitement by just being a part of this new adventure. They were just glad to be there, and each angler was extremely polite.
Something else I noticed at the tournament was no harsh words were spoken by anybody that I could hear. There was some smack talk between Alabama and Auburn, but it was all in fun and not harsh at all.
These students essentially are paying their own way to fish in the college bass tournaments. They have to supply their own boats and pay for motel rooms and travel expenses. They pay to play and are happy to be there.
Each one of the anglers I spoke with felt the college bass tournaments now will grow into something big in the near future. And I agree that things are on their way.
“I see big things happening in due time. In 3-4 years there will probably be a qualifying process and from there this sport will take off,” said Auburn academic advisor Jann Swaim, the tournament director.
The Southern Collegiate Bass Championship at Ingalls Harbor in Decatur was something new and refreshing.
That’s not to say professional bass tournaments like those run by Bassmasters or FLW are boring, but the Southern Collegiate tournament offered a different scene, and the several hundred people in attendance seemed to enjoy every minute of it.
The tournament was started only three years ago, but it’s already built a nice base.
When the Bass Boss Ray Scott started tournament bass fishing in 1967, it grew and it grew fast. The bass fishing industry grows bigger each year with millions of people involved.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working the professional tournaments in which an angler could win $100,000 or even $500,000. I plan on continuing to follow the two major circuits closely. I enjoy writing about them just about as much as I enjoy fishing in a local tournament every now and then.
But now, colleges and even high schools are getting into the bass tournament scene. Both are in the beginning stages, but the possibilities are endless.
There were 117 anglers representing 23 colleges at the tournament. I spoke with many of the college students and found each one to be supportive of their team. Each one showed excitement by just being a part of this new adventure. They were just glad to be there, and each angler was extremely polite.
Something else I noticed at the tournament was no harsh words were spoken by anybody that I could hear. There was some smack talk between Alabama and Auburn, but it was all in fun and not harsh at all.
These students essentially are paying their own way to fish in the college bass tournaments. They have to supply their own boats and pay for motel rooms and travel expenses. They pay to play and are happy to be there.
Each one of the anglers I spoke with felt the college bass tournaments now will grow into something big in the near future. And I agree that things are on their way.
“I see big things happening in due time. In 3-4 years there will probably be a qualifying process and from there this sport will take off,” said Auburn academic advisor Jann Swaim, the tournament director.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
It's no spring break
Tournament leader Northwest-Shoals is no small fish in college bass tourney
By Paul Stackhouse, Sports Writer, The Decatur Daily
It didn’t take long for the smack talk to begin when The University of Alabama anglers found out they trailed Auburn University at Decatur’s Ingalls Harbor on the opening day of the Southern Collegiate Bass Championship on Wheeler Lake.
The eight Crimson Tide fishermen made it known the tournament wasn’t over, and many made references about waiting until tomorrow, which brought high-fives from many of the anglers.
The contestants in the tournament, which finishes with the second and final round Saturday, are students from 23 different colleges.
Like basketball players scoring points for their team, the individual boats consists two anglers and are allowed to bring in a limit of five bass.
Some teams have up to four boats in the event but only the weights of the top two will count for the day’s catch. Teams with only one boat in the tournament are allowed to bring in 10 bass.
The boats will take off from Ingalls at about 6:30 a.m. with the championship weigh-in beginning at 2 p.m. There is no admission fee to watch the weigh-in.
Northwest-Shoals Community College claimed the lead Friday after bringing in 22.59 pounds of bass to the scales.
Chattanooga sits in second place at 20.26, while Tennessee is in third place at 20.22.
Rounding out the top 10 are Auburn (19.95), Alabama (19.42), Tennessee Tech (18.67), Kennesaw State (18.36), Georgia (17.51), Clemson (17.01) and Ole Miss (16.27).
Northwest-Shoals anglers Andrew Hamilton and David Allen, a pair of sophomores from Florence, brought a bag of bass to the scales weighing 12.27 pounds to help their team catapult to the top of the leader board.
“I’ve fished all of the Tennessee River’s lakes from Guntersville to Kentucky Lake,” Hamilton said. “So, you could say I’m familiar with Wheeler. I’ve fished some FLW tournaments on these lakes, also, which has helped me learn a lot about the Tennessee River.”
Allen said that confidence is high for his team.
“We feel pretty good about things right now,” Allen said. “We’ll talk about it tonight some and just hope they start biting again tomorrow.”
Auburn is playing host to the tournament. The Auburn team of Jordan Lee of Cullman and Kiron Browning of Texarkana, Texas, brought in a five-bass bag weighing 13.22 pounds, which led all boats Friday.
“I feel pretty confident about tomorrow,” said Lee, a freshman. “We caught a lot of small fish today, a lot of male bass, and I wouldn’t mind catching something like that again, but we really need to get a big fish to help the team.”
Browning said their strategy for Saturday is not to change much from what they did Friday.
“We’re going back to the same area, and I feel like we can catch little keepers there all day, but we have to look for something bigger,” he said. “The big female bass just haven’t moved into the shallows yet, so I’m not real sure how we’re going to go after the big fish. Basically, you could say we’re not going to change much.”
North Alabama rests in 11th place with a weight of 15.75 pounds.
UNA’s Ryan Salzman, a junior from Decatur, and Andy Page, a freshman from Athens, managed to bring in a bag of bass weighing 7.90 pounds. Even though their numbers are low, their spirits are high.
“I’ve lived on this lake my whole life,” Page said. “I know anything can happen here and we can make a big difference in our team weight tomorrow by having a good day.”
Salzman pointed out that he’s not a believer in the home lake jinx that many tournament anglers talk about.
“I’m not a believer in the bad luck,” Salzman said. “We won the regional last year on Wilson, so that just shows we don’t have a home lake jinx against us.
“Tomorrow, we’re going to work on finding a better pattern, and I believe we’re going to have a much better day.”
Jann Swaim, an academic adviser at Auburn, is the tournament director at the Southern Championship. He stressed that teamwork is the key to winning.
“We make it well known that there are not any individuals here,” Swaim said. “At the motel tonight, I feel the teams are going to be discussing a lot of strategy. That’s the way it needs to be. They will practice a team strategy tonight, and we encourage them to do the same on the water. It can really help them to communicate during the day.”
The winning school advances to the Boat U.S. Nationals in Lewisville, Texas.
Southern Collegiate Bass Championship first-day results
Here are the standings after Day 1 of the Southern Collegiate Bass Championships at Wheeler Lake on Friday. The tournament finishes Saturday with a 2 p.m. weigh-in at Ingalls Harbor. Spectator admission is free.
School Boats Total pounds
1. Northwest-Shoals 4 22.59
2. Chattanooga 2 20.46
3. Tennessee 4 20.22
4. Auburn 4 19.95
5. Alabama 4 19.42
6. Tennessee Tech 2 18.67
7. Kennesaw State 2 18.36
8. Georgia 4 17.51
9. Clemson 2 17.01
10. Ole Miss 2 16.27
11. North Alabama 4 15.75
12. Freed-Hardeman 2 14.26
13. Jacksonville State 2 13.56
14. Georgia College 2 13.46
15. Bethel University 2 11.28
16. Gadsden State 4 11.09
17. Middle Tennessee State 3 10.48
18. Birmingham-Southern 1 10.46
19. Troy 1 10.29
20. South Alabama 1 9.26
21. UAB 2 8.87
22. Mississippi State 3 8.75
23. Austin Peay 1 5.99
By Paul Stackhouse, Sports Writer, The Decatur Daily
It didn’t take long for the smack talk to begin when The University of Alabama anglers found out they trailed Auburn University at Decatur’s Ingalls Harbor on the opening day of the Southern Collegiate Bass Championship on Wheeler Lake.
The eight Crimson Tide fishermen made it known the tournament wasn’t over, and many made references about waiting until tomorrow, which brought high-fives from many of the anglers.
The contestants in the tournament, which finishes with the second and final round Saturday, are students from 23 different colleges.
Like basketball players scoring points for their team, the individual boats consists two anglers and are allowed to bring in a limit of five bass.
Some teams have up to four boats in the event but only the weights of the top two will count for the day’s catch. Teams with only one boat in the tournament are allowed to bring in 10 bass.
The boats will take off from Ingalls at about 6:30 a.m. with the championship weigh-in beginning at 2 p.m. There is no admission fee to watch the weigh-in.
Northwest-Shoals Community College claimed the lead Friday after bringing in 22.59 pounds of bass to the scales.
Chattanooga sits in second place at 20.26, while Tennessee is in third place at 20.22.
Rounding out the top 10 are Auburn (19.95), Alabama (19.42), Tennessee Tech (18.67), Kennesaw State (18.36), Georgia (17.51), Clemson (17.01) and Ole Miss (16.27).
Northwest-Shoals anglers Andrew Hamilton and David Allen, a pair of sophomores from Florence, brought a bag of bass to the scales weighing 12.27 pounds to help their team catapult to the top of the leader board.
“I’ve fished all of the Tennessee River’s lakes from Guntersville to Kentucky Lake,” Hamilton said. “So, you could say I’m familiar with Wheeler. I’ve fished some FLW tournaments on these lakes, also, which has helped me learn a lot about the Tennessee River.”
Allen said that confidence is high for his team.
“We feel pretty good about things right now,” Allen said. “We’ll talk about it tonight some and just hope they start biting again tomorrow.”
Auburn is playing host to the tournament. The Auburn team of Jordan Lee of Cullman and Kiron Browning of Texarkana, Texas, brought in a five-bass bag weighing 13.22 pounds, which led all boats Friday.
“I feel pretty confident about tomorrow,” said Lee, a freshman. “We caught a lot of small fish today, a lot of male bass, and I wouldn’t mind catching something like that again, but we really need to get a big fish to help the team.”
Browning said their strategy for Saturday is not to change much from what they did Friday.
“We’re going back to the same area, and I feel like we can catch little keepers there all day, but we have to look for something bigger,” he said. “The big female bass just haven’t moved into the shallows yet, so I’m not real sure how we’re going to go after the big fish. Basically, you could say we’re not going to change much.”
North Alabama rests in 11th place with a weight of 15.75 pounds.
UNA’s Ryan Salzman, a junior from Decatur, and Andy Page, a freshman from Athens, managed to bring in a bag of bass weighing 7.90 pounds. Even though their numbers are low, their spirits are high.
“I’ve lived on this lake my whole life,” Page said. “I know anything can happen here and we can make a big difference in our team weight tomorrow by having a good day.”
Salzman pointed out that he’s not a believer in the home lake jinx that many tournament anglers talk about.
“I’m not a believer in the bad luck,” Salzman said. “We won the regional last year on Wilson, so that just shows we don’t have a home lake jinx against us.
“Tomorrow, we’re going to work on finding a better pattern, and I believe we’re going to have a much better day.”
Jann Swaim, an academic adviser at Auburn, is the tournament director at the Southern Championship. He stressed that teamwork is the key to winning.
“We make it well known that there are not any individuals here,” Swaim said. “At the motel tonight, I feel the teams are going to be discussing a lot of strategy. That’s the way it needs to be. They will practice a team strategy tonight, and we encourage them to do the same on the water. It can really help them to communicate during the day.”
The winning school advances to the Boat U.S. Nationals in Lewisville, Texas.
Southern Collegiate Bass Championship first-day results
Here are the standings after Day 1 of the Southern Collegiate Bass Championships at Wheeler Lake on Friday. The tournament finishes Saturday with a 2 p.m. weigh-in at Ingalls Harbor. Spectator admission is free.
School Boats Total pounds
1. Northwest-Shoals 4 22.59
2. Chattanooga 2 20.46
3. Tennessee 4 20.22
4. Auburn 4 19.95
5. Alabama 4 19.42
6. Tennessee Tech 2 18.67
7. Kennesaw State 2 18.36
8. Georgia 4 17.51
9. Clemson 2 17.01
10. Ole Miss 2 16.27
11. North Alabama 4 15.75
12. Freed-Hardeman 2 14.26
13. Jacksonville State 2 13.56
14. Georgia College 2 13.46
15. Bethel University 2 11.28
16. Gadsden State 4 11.09
17. Middle Tennessee State 3 10.48
18. Birmingham-Southern 1 10.46
19. Troy 1 10.29
20. South Alabama 1 9.26
21. UAB 2 8.87
22. Mississippi State 3 8.75
23. Austin Peay 1 5.99
Friday, April 2, 2010
Wheeler impresses college bass anglers
By Michael Wetzel, Assistant sports editor, The Decatur Daily
First impressions can go a long way.
And for Tennessee sophomore Phillip Hopper, the fishing conditions on Wheeler Lake on Thursday were impressive. He said his bass-fishing team in its first outing on the lake caught six keepers, which included a 3-pound largemouth pulled from the Elk River.
That’s not a bad day for a group of college anglers, but Thursday was just for practice.
Hopper, a 20-year-old sophomore studying management, knows team’s chances of winning the Southern Collegiate Bass Championship this weekend improve if the weather and fish cooperate.
And the forecast looks good.
“We’re going to try to win this thing,” Hopper said. “I’m going to go out there, have a good time and we’ll see what happens. It’s all about finding sweet spots.”
Hopper said his success Thursday came on spinner bait. More than 130 college anglers from more than 20 colleges and universities will be vying for the championship cup and a trip to the Boat US Nationals in Lewisville, Texas, in May.
Tournament organizers say Tennessee, Alabama, North Alabama and Georgia are considered the favorites.
Alabama junior Matt Carter is from Owens Cross Roads and has fished out of Ingalls Harbor plenty, he said. He hopes to use that familiarity to his team’s advantage.
“We’ve got the best schools in the South here,” said the business major. “But we’re Alabama. I’ve had some luck on Wheeler in the past. I hope that continues.”
Southern Collegiate Bass Championship Tournament Director Jann Swaim simply shook his head when asked about the pleasant weather that welcomed the participants to Decatur.
“The weather all season hasn’t been kind to us,” Swaim said. “Now, we come here and this wonderful weather. I’m not sure these guys will know what to do out there on the water with this great weather.”
After starting their morning at Ingalls Harbor, the angler gathered at the Point Mallard pavilion Thursday evening. After registering and enjoying snacks, the group was welcomed by Decatur Mayor Don Stanford.
At an awards ceremony Thursday night, Matt Lee of Birmingham-Southern received the award for reeling in the biggest largemouth during the season.
John Young of Tennessee won for hooking the biggest smallmouth.
North Alabama was recognized for winning the regular season with a 5-1 mark.
Georgia won the individual points championship.
Fishing begins for real at 6:30 a.m. Friday from Ingalls Harbor. Weigh-in is 3 p.m.
Saturday’s launching starts at 6:30 a.m. with the final weigh-in at 2 p.m., followed by the awards ceremony.
Careco Media will be filming for the Versus television network throughout the weekend.
Spectator admission is free to the public.
First impressions can go a long way.
And for Tennessee sophomore Phillip Hopper, the fishing conditions on Wheeler Lake on Thursday were impressive. He said his bass-fishing team in its first outing on the lake caught six keepers, which included a 3-pound largemouth pulled from the Elk River.
That’s not a bad day for a group of college anglers, but Thursday was just for practice.
Hopper, a 20-year-old sophomore studying management, knows team’s chances of winning the Southern Collegiate Bass Championship this weekend improve if the weather and fish cooperate.
And the forecast looks good.
“We’re going to try to win this thing,” Hopper said. “I’m going to go out there, have a good time and we’ll see what happens. It’s all about finding sweet spots.”
Hopper said his success Thursday came on spinner bait. More than 130 college anglers from more than 20 colleges and universities will be vying for the championship cup and a trip to the Boat US Nationals in Lewisville, Texas, in May.
Tournament organizers say Tennessee, Alabama, North Alabama and Georgia are considered the favorites.
Alabama junior Matt Carter is from Owens Cross Roads and has fished out of Ingalls Harbor plenty, he said. He hopes to use that familiarity to his team’s advantage.
“We’ve got the best schools in the South here,” said the business major. “But we’re Alabama. I’ve had some luck on Wheeler in the past. I hope that continues.”
Southern Collegiate Bass Championship Tournament Director Jann Swaim simply shook his head when asked about the pleasant weather that welcomed the participants to Decatur.
“The weather all season hasn’t been kind to us,” Swaim said. “Now, we come here and this wonderful weather. I’m not sure these guys will know what to do out there on the water with this great weather.”
After starting their morning at Ingalls Harbor, the angler gathered at the Point Mallard pavilion Thursday evening. After registering and enjoying snacks, the group was welcomed by Decatur Mayor Don Stanford.
At an awards ceremony Thursday night, Matt Lee of Birmingham-Southern received the award for reeling in the biggest largemouth during the season.
John Young of Tennessee won for hooking the biggest smallmouth.
North Alabama was recognized for winning the regular season with a 5-1 mark.
Georgia won the individual points championship.
Fishing begins for real at 6:30 a.m. Friday from Ingalls Harbor. Weigh-in is 3 p.m.
Saturday’s launching starts at 6:30 a.m. with the final weigh-in at 2 p.m., followed by the awards ceremony.
Careco Media will be filming for the Versus television network throughout the weekend.
Spectator admission is free to the public.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Decatur reels in college fishing teams
By Michael Wetzel, Assistant sports editor, The Decatur Daily
When Jann Swaim was a youngster fishing on Wheeler Lake, he never thought he would one day be directing a college bass fishing tournament involving his favorite schools.
But beginning with Thursday’s practice session, Swaim, an academic adviser at Auburn, will be the man in charge at the Southern Collegiate Bass Championships at Ingalls Harbor in Decatur.
At daybreak Thursday, some of the 30 teams will be launching at Ingalls Harbor. Tournament fishing starts at 6:30 a.m. Friday and ends Saturday with the final weigh-in at 2 p.m.
The winning team advances to the Boat U.S. Nationals on Lewisville Lake in the Dallas area in late May. Swaim promises fans attending a “totally different atmosphere” than at the pro bass events.
“The anglers will be wearing their school jerseys,” said Swaim, a native of Huntsville. “The kids want to win. The same rivalries that exist in other sports exist in bass fishing.”
He said alumni groups and just general college fans have been showing up at weigh-ins to cheer for their favorite schools.
Swaim has seen the Southern Collegiate event grow from eight teams in 2008, its first year, at the Joe Wheeler State Park Lodge, to this year’s largest field.
He compared this season-ending tournament to that of the SEC basketball tournament.
“It’s like a second season,” he said. “Regardless of how your team did in the regular season, you get a second chance to win the championship.”
College anglers worked the waters of Guntersville, Pickwick and Neely Henry during the regular-season series. Bass fishing is a club sport at Auburn, the host school. Swaim said the school helps with hotel and food, but the boats, trailers, fishing gear and insurance costs belong to the student anglers.
“Bass fishing is another way for kids to be included as a member of a team for their college,” said Swaim, 53. “These kids are the future of the sport. There are some really good anglers at these schools.
“But there’s more to it than just fishing. The kids learn to be responsible, and they really seem to enjoy the networking that comes along with meeting kids from other schools.”
Swaim added his club had Auburn grad and pro bass angler Steve Kennedy speak with the members.
“The No. 1 thing I see the kids need to work on is being patient,” Swaim said. “They want to throw their lines a few times and race off to the next spot. I try to stress that they slow down and be more methodical with their time on the water.”
Auburn and UAB have dominated in the past couple of years, but Swaim said this year’s favorites are probably Alabama, North Alabama and Tennessee. He called regular-season points champion Georgia a darkhorse. Georgia’s Randy Tolbert and non-boater Chase Simmemon won the regular season individual series with 276 points. Swaim said a film crew for the Versus television network will be in town covering the event.
While Auburn and some of the other larger schools may field four boats with two anglers a boat, only the top two weights from two of the boats will be counted after the weigh-ins. Swaim said to even the playing field, some schools with only one boat in the tournament can bring 10 fish to the daily weigh-ins.
He said it may take more than 70 pounds to win this weekend’s tournament.
Helping Swaim will be his wife Jenny and assistant director Darrel High.
Spectator admission is free. Friday’s weigh-in is at 3 p.m. and Saturday’s at 2 p.m. Live streaming of the weigh-ins can be found at www.yourschoollive.com.
College bass fishing tournament
The third annual Southern Collegiate Bass Championship will be on Wheeler Lake on Friday and Saturday. Spectator admission is free.
The schedule of events
Thursday
Practice begins at 6:30 a.m. at Ingalls Harbor.
Angler dinner at 5 p.m. at Point Mallard pavilion with regular-season awards and tournament rules to follow.
Friday
Launch at Ingalls Harbor, 6:30 a.m.
Weigh-in at Ingalls Harbor, 3 p.m.
Saturday
Launch at Ingalls Harbor, 6:30 a.m.
Weigh-in at Ingalls Harbor, 2 p.m.
Awards to follow weigh-in.
Schools on Wheeler Lake
As of Wednesday afternoon, here are the schools registered to compete in the third annual Southern Collegiate Bass Championships on Wheeler Lake which begins Friday morning:
Auburn, Alabama, North Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Alabama-Birmingham, Virginia Tech, South Alabama, Northwest-Shoals Community College, Jacksonville State, Gadsden State Community College, Tennessee Tech, Middle Tennessee State, Austin Peay, Kennesaw State, Radford and Freed-Hardeman. Registration continues through Thursday afternoon.
When Jann Swaim was a youngster fishing on Wheeler Lake, he never thought he would one day be directing a college bass fishing tournament involving his favorite schools.
But beginning with Thursday’s practice session, Swaim, an academic adviser at Auburn, will be the man in charge at the Southern Collegiate Bass Championships at Ingalls Harbor in Decatur.
At daybreak Thursday, some of the 30 teams will be launching at Ingalls Harbor. Tournament fishing starts at 6:30 a.m. Friday and ends Saturday with the final weigh-in at 2 p.m.
The winning team advances to the Boat U.S. Nationals on Lewisville Lake in the Dallas area in late May. Swaim promises fans attending a “totally different atmosphere” than at the pro bass events.
“The anglers will be wearing their school jerseys,” said Swaim, a native of Huntsville. “The kids want to win. The same rivalries that exist in other sports exist in bass fishing.”
He said alumni groups and just general college fans have been showing up at weigh-ins to cheer for their favorite schools.
Swaim has seen the Southern Collegiate event grow from eight teams in 2008, its first year, at the Joe Wheeler State Park Lodge, to this year’s largest field.
He compared this season-ending tournament to that of the SEC basketball tournament.
“It’s like a second season,” he said. “Regardless of how your team did in the regular season, you get a second chance to win the championship.”
College anglers worked the waters of Guntersville, Pickwick and Neely Henry during the regular-season series. Bass fishing is a club sport at Auburn, the host school. Swaim said the school helps with hotel and food, but the boats, trailers, fishing gear and insurance costs belong to the student anglers.
“Bass fishing is another way for kids to be included as a member of a team for their college,” said Swaim, 53. “These kids are the future of the sport. There are some really good anglers at these schools.
“But there’s more to it than just fishing. The kids learn to be responsible, and they really seem to enjoy the networking that comes along with meeting kids from other schools.”
Swaim added his club had Auburn grad and pro bass angler Steve Kennedy speak with the members.
“The No. 1 thing I see the kids need to work on is being patient,” Swaim said. “They want to throw their lines a few times and race off to the next spot. I try to stress that they slow down and be more methodical with their time on the water.”
Auburn and UAB have dominated in the past couple of years, but Swaim said this year’s favorites are probably Alabama, North Alabama and Tennessee. He called regular-season points champion Georgia a darkhorse. Georgia’s Randy Tolbert and non-boater Chase Simmemon won the regular season individual series with 276 points. Swaim said a film crew for the Versus television network will be in town covering the event.
While Auburn and some of the other larger schools may field four boats with two anglers a boat, only the top two weights from two of the boats will be counted after the weigh-ins. Swaim said to even the playing field, some schools with only one boat in the tournament can bring 10 fish to the daily weigh-ins.
He said it may take more than 70 pounds to win this weekend’s tournament.
Helping Swaim will be his wife Jenny and assistant director Darrel High.
Spectator admission is free. Friday’s weigh-in is at 3 p.m. and Saturday’s at 2 p.m. Live streaming of the weigh-ins can be found at www.yourschoollive.com.
College bass fishing tournament
The third annual Southern Collegiate Bass Championship will be on Wheeler Lake on Friday and Saturday. Spectator admission is free.
The schedule of events
Thursday
Practice begins at 6:30 a.m. at Ingalls Harbor.
Angler dinner at 5 p.m. at Point Mallard pavilion with regular-season awards and tournament rules to follow.
Friday
Launch at Ingalls Harbor, 6:30 a.m.
Weigh-in at Ingalls Harbor, 3 p.m.
Saturday
Launch at Ingalls Harbor, 6:30 a.m.
Weigh-in at Ingalls Harbor, 2 p.m.
Awards to follow weigh-in.
Schools on Wheeler Lake
As of Wednesday afternoon, here are the schools registered to compete in the third annual Southern Collegiate Bass Championships on Wheeler Lake which begins Friday morning:
Auburn, Alabama, North Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Alabama-Birmingham, Virginia Tech, South Alabama, Northwest-Shoals Community College, Jacksonville State, Gadsden State Community College, Tennessee Tech, Middle Tennessee State, Austin Peay, Kennesaw State, Radford and Freed-Hardeman. Registration continues through Thursday afternoon.
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