Matthew McArdle (left) and Josh Bensema of Texas A&M University weighed in 3 pounds, 10 ounces Friday for a three-day total weight of 18 pounds, 4 ounces to take home the trophy in the 2015 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops held on Lake DuBay out of Stevens Point, Wis.

July 11, 2015

Texas A&M Claims College Series National Championship

STEVENS POINT, Wis. — On a tough final day Josh Bensema and Matthew McArdle of Texas A&M University needed only two bass weighing 3 pounds, 10 ounces to claim the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops.

The Aggies overcame a 6-ounce deficit and a 50-minute delay on Saturday morning to surpass the second-round leaders — Tyler Rivet and Allyson Marcel of Nicholls State University — and take home the biggest prize in college bass fishing.

“When we caught a keeper bass right away, we were very confident,” Bensema said of their fishing day. “To go almost the rest of the day with no fish was tough.” In fact, the pair’s only other bass was caught with only minutes of fishing time remaining.

“Catching that smallmouth with five minutes to go was important. Matt looked at me and said ‘I think you just caught the winning fish.’ It turns out I did.”

“I still feel like I’m dreaming,” Bensema said. “I’m sure it will hit me soon, but I’m trying to keep it in the back of my mind right now because I need to keep my focus aimed at the bracket.”

The champions will have little time to celebrate their team title. The Carhartt Bassmaster College Classic Bracket phase of the competition, which determines the lone Carhartt College Series qualifier for the 2016 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro, begins Sunday morning.

Members of the Top 4 teams will fish individually in head-to-head bracket competition over the next three days. The winner earns a berth in the Classic to be held in Tulsa, Okla., March 4-6.

Over the course of the national championship, Bensema and McArdle caught eight bass for a three-day total of 18-4. The majority of their fish came on a topwater frog, although a jig accounted for some keepers as well. Bass were biting best for the A&M anglers in the morning hours, which made the delayed start Saturday all the more painful for them.

Bensema did not have the proper paperwork for his boat insurance, a requirement under B.A.S.S. rules, and it took nearly an hour to meet that requirement.

“We got a little rattled this morning, and I made about 100 hundred phone calls,” McArdle said. “We just decided to keep our heads up and just go fishing because you fish much better when you don’t stress yourself out.”

The tough nature of this fishery and the pressure that Lake DuBay has received over the entire week culminated with only two of the five teams in the finals boating keeper bass on Saturday. The University of Minnesota, like Texas A&M, only boated two keepers and fell short of the title by 1 pound. Trevor Lo and Chris Burgan of Minnesota claimed second place after weighing 5 pounds, 8 ounces on Saturday and finishing with a three-day total of 17 pounds, 4 ounces.

The Friday leaders from Nicholls State University, Rivet and Marcel, didn’t catch a keeper bass on Saturday and dropped to third overall, but they still punched their ticket to fish in the Carhartt Bassmater College Series Classic Bracket. The pair boated six fish for 15 pounds over three days.

Rivet and Marcel won a $250 Bass Pro Shops gift card for winning the Bass Pro Shops/Nitro Big Bag award with an 8-pound, 7-ounce catch on Friday.

Minnesota’s Lo and Burgan claimed the Carhartt Big Bass award for a 3-13 smallmouth. They will receive a $500 Carhartt gift card.

Jake Whitaker and Andrew Helms from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte claimed the fourth and final spot in the Classic Bracket.

The University of Alabama squeezed into the 5th and final spot to fish on Saturday, but Frankie Appaluccio and Logan Shaddix weren’t able to weigh a bass on Saturday, leaving them in fifth and eliminating them from the Classic Bracket.

The first round of the College Series Classic Bracket begins on Sunday with takeoff at 6 a.m. CT from Bukolt Park (100 Bukolt Ave. Stevens Point, Wis 54481) with the weigh-in starting at 2:30 p.m. at Bukolt Park.

Local hosts for the events are the Stevens Point Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, Stevens Point Area Central Wisconsin Sports Commission, Tike Beach Bar and Grill, Travel Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Presented by Bass Pro Shops National
Championship
7/9/2015 – 7/11/2015
Lake DuBay – Tiki Beach Bar & Grill – Stevens Point, WI
STANDINGS BOATER DAY 3

Today’s Activity
# Fish Lbs – Oz
Accumulative
Name # Live # Fish # Live Lbs – Oz
1 Josh Bensema – Matthew Mcardle Texas A&M University 2 2 3-10 8 8 18- 4
2 Trevor Lo – Chris Burgan University of Minnesota 2 2 5- 8 7 7 17- 4
3 Tyler Rivet – Allyson Marcel Nicholls State University 0 0 0- 0 6 6 15- 0
4 Jake Whitaker – Andrew Helms UNC Charlotte 0 0 0- 0 6 6 13- 3
5 Frankie Appaluccio – Logan Shaddix University of Alabama 0 0 0- 0 5 5 11-11
6 Zachary Blalock – Mike Corbishley East Carolina University 5 5 11-11
7 Austin Brimeyer – Anthony Riesberg University of Dubuque 5 5 9- 9
8 Hunter Gibson – Caiden Sinclair University of Alabama 5 5 9- 4
9 Kelly Johnson – Jeremy Gilley Appalachian State University 3 3 8- 1
10 Zack Bodford – Matthew Hinkle NC State University 4 4 8- 1
11 JP Kimbrough – Jared Rascoe LSU Shreveport 3 3 7-15
12 Hunter Hill – Ethan Howell Appalachian State University 3 3 7-14
13 Ross Burns – Isaac Clemson University 4 4 7-12
14 Justin Singleton – Zac Bennett Georgia College & State University 4 4 7- 8
15 Patrick Walters – Josh Rennebaum University of South Carolina 4 4 7- 7
16 Cade Laufenberg – Wyatt Stout Winona State University 3 3 7- 6
17 Tyler Stewart – Nick Joiner La Monroe 4 4 7- 6
18 Josh Oliver – Nathan George Gadsden State Community College 4 4 7- 3
19 Kyle Winstead – Brandon Koon UT Martin 4 4 6-15
20 Taylor Bivins – Kyle Alsop Kansas State University 4 4 6-10
21 John Duarte – Jonathan Kelley Coastal Carolina University 4 4 6- 6
22 Jared Mataczynski – Steve Nebel University of Wisconsin-Whitewater 3 3 6- 5
23 Phillip Germagliotti – Shane Campbell McKendree University 4 4 6- 2
24 Brock Enmeier – Colten Hutson University of Central Oklahoma 3 3 5-11
25 Cody Spears – Justin Mahon Florida State University 2 2 5- 8
26 John Ledet – Justin Cooper Northwestern State University 4 4 5- 6
27 Tanner Austin – Ethan Clark Sacramento State 2 2 5- 4
28 Murphy Klumpp – Lucas Brown Auburn University 3 3 5- 4
29 Baylor Ronemus – Cole Tinsley Clemson University 3 3 5- 2
30 Anderson Aldag – Lee Mattox University of Alabama 2 2 4- 9
31 Justin Brown – Brandon Bissell Northern Michigan University 3 3 4- 3
32 Cole Atkinson – St Ambrose University 2 2 4- 3
33 Edward Rude III – Matthew Combs West Virginia University 3 3 4- 3
34 Easton Ramsey – Chris Zins University of Central Oklahoma 2 2 3-15
35 Grayson Barber – Hiroto Kinoshita NC State University 2 2 3-14
36 Sheldon Rogge – Lance Maldonado Kansas State University 2 2 3-12
37 John Garrett – Brian Pahl Bethel University 1 1 3-11
38 Joshua Butts – Justin Rivers Wallace State CC Hanceville 2 2 3-10
39 Kevin Lucas – Kyle Stafford U. of Central Florida 2 2 3- 8
40 Aaron Belgard – Logan Laprarie Northwestern State University 2 2 3- 8
41 Tyler Craig – Blake Alford La Monroe 2 2 3- 3
42 Evan Smith – Aaron Sarna Arkansas Tech University 2 2 3- 1
43 Evan Horne – Dawson Lenz University of North Alabama 2 2 2-15
44 Taylor Minick – Michael Harbach Valdosta State University 2 2 2-14
45 Tyler Rocke – Justin Schick Illinois Central College 2 2 2-13
46 Jacob Wall – University of Oregon 1 1 2-12
47 Ross Dove – Richie Young Emmanuel College 2 2 2-11
48 Cole Blythe – John Auten UNC Charlotte 1 1 2-11
49 Samuel Moore – Ross Kellermeier Bemidji State University 2 2 2-10
50 Alex Klein – Chico State 1 1 2- 5
51 Ethan Snyder – Shaw Owens Eastern Kentucky University 1 1 2- 4
52 Matt Allen – Zach Youngblood Tennessee Tech University 1 1 2- 2
53 CJ Knight – Tim Ward Auburn University 1 1 2- 1
54 Dwight Camp – Jonathan Furlong Southeastern Oklahoma University 1 1 1-11
54 Laj Tripp – Kyle Sittman Eastern Washington University 1 1 1-11
56 Thomas Oltorik III – James Oltorik Daytona State College 1 1 1-10
57 Jay Emmert – Christian Peake U. of Tennessee 1 1 1- 9
58 Chelsey Queen – Kristopher Queen Bethel University 1 1 1- 8
59 Benjamin Freeman – Dillon McGee Bethel University 1 1 1- 6
60 Justin Bruno – Brody Anderson Grand Valley State University 1 1 1- 5
60 Austin Neary – Alex Frazier Western Carolina University 1 1 1- 5
60 Jonathan Peck – Devin Wallis Bryan College 1 1 1- 5
60 Michael Woods – Chas Brannon Chico State 1 1 1- 5
64 Jacob Reome – Matthew Garvin Clemson University 1 1 1- 4
65 Austin Littrell – Ben Wall Auburn University 1 1 1- 3
66 Kit Benson – Wes Lashmett Western Illinois University 1 0 1- 3
67 Grant Ehlenfeldt – Brett Stanek University of Wisconsin-Platteville 1 1 1- 2
67 Cy Floyd – Travis Opel Eastern Washington University 1 1 1- 2
67 Lance Freeman – Seth Brock Murray State University 1 1 1- 2
70 Alec Castonguay – Garret Whitley Stephen F Austin State University 0 0 0- 0
70 Brian Eaton – Slade Daniel La Monroe 0 0 0- 0
70 Grant Galloway – Joe Marty Mississippi State University 0 0 0- 0
70 Justin Gaskin – James Avant LSU Shreveport 0 0 0- 0
70 Clayton Godfrey – Garret Lindsey Stephen F Austin State University 0 0 0- 0
70 Darrell Henson Jr. – Brent Rome LSU 0 0 0- 0
70 Shelby Hutchens – Brian Blades Stephen F Austin State University 0 0 0- 0
70 Jordan Ledbetter – Trent Robinson McKendree University 0 0 0- 0
70 Zander Monk – Taylor Thomas UNC Charlotte 0 0 0- 0
70 Colby Ogden – Brandon Simoneaux Lamar University 0 0 0- 0
70 Carson Orellana – Strayer University 0 0 0- 0
70 John Zeolla – Clayton Lauchland Cal Poly 0 0 0- 0
Name City,State Lbs-Oz
BIG BASS
Day
1 John Garrett – Brian Pahl Union City, TN 3-11
2 Hunter Gibson – Caiden SincHlaoirover, AL 3- 8
3 Trevor Lo – Chris Burgan Woodbury, MN 3-13
Day # Live Lbs-Oz # Limits
TOTALS
# Fish
1 103 102 196-11 16
2 71 71 140- 4 11
3 4 4 9- 2 0