Top 10 Teams at Lake Dardanelle Earn Automatic Qualification into 2026 Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship

Thursday, October 16, 2025

Top 10 Teams at Lake Dardanelle Earn Automatic Qualification into 2026 Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship

SAN ANTONIO, TX (October 15, 2025) – This past weekend, the Association of Collegiate Anglers contested its second event of the 2025-26 season on the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series. The AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open saw more than 280 elite college teams compete for more than $20,000 in prizes and contingencies, as well as double points to count towards the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia. Additionally, the Top 10 teams in the final tournament standings earned automatic qualification into the 2026 Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops.

Here is a look at those Top 10 teams from tournament competition at Lake Dardanelle in Russellville, AR:

Bryce DiMauro & Tripp Berlinsky: University of North Alabama
Miles Smith & William Tew: LSU-Shreveport
Thomas Turnbull & Dylan Sorrells: University of Montevallo
Alex Wood & Joe Williams: Missouri State University
Maxwell Trotter & Jack Stephens: McKendree University
Carsen Adcock & Will Powell: LSU-Shreveport
Gabrien Amburgey & Trent Allen: Campbellsville University
Mason Carden & Grant Laney: University of Montevallo
Michael Witherup & Conner Bower: University of Montevallo
Mason Laurin & Sam Sutter: Drury University

Two schools earned multiple qualifications into the 2026 ACA National Championship this past weekend. 2nd ranked Montevallo earned three automatic qualification spots, and 14th ranked LSUS gained two.

Being that the AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open was the second ACA event of the season, a total of 20 automatic bids into the 2026 Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops have been earned. Montevallo leads the way, for most additional boats qualified, with a total of four. Only three other schools have earned multiple qualifications: Tarleton State (3), Carson-Newman (2), LSUS (2).

The 2026 Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops is set to take place at Pickwick Lake in Florence, AL on May 21-22. One more ACA event remains for schools to earn additional automatic qualifications into the prestigious 200 boat field. The Top 15 at the 2026 Hartwell Slam will secure their spot in the 21st ACA National Championship.

View the Championship Qualification Criteria.

The Association of Collegiate Anglers (ACA) is a division of CarecoTV that was created over twenty years ago to facilitate growth, development, and provide structure within competitive collegiate bass fishing, with emphasis on competitive fishing events nationwide. The ACA created the original BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship which has now evolved into the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, which is now recognized as the longest-running consecutive collegiate bass fishing series in existence. The ACA has also created various other programs such as the Collegiate School of the Year Rankings system, College Bass Fishing Open, Collegiate Big Bass Bash and the College Bass Fishing Springtime Slam.

The ACA lineup of major college fishing events includes a variety of nationwide tournaments that are multi-day tournaments, all of which are televised and streamed on several networks, as well as streamed on a variety of connected platforms allowing fans to follow anyway they choose on any device. These major events have no entry fees and no membership costs associated with them for the college anglers competing. The ACA also provides support to numerous schools operating regional events nationwide which is an effort to provide more opportunities to grow the exposure and awareness of college fishing.

The ACA owns the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, Bass Pro Shops School of Year presented by Abu Garcia program, and associated assets which is widely regarded as the most comprehensive and prestigious collegiate bass fishing title today.

Thanks in part to the large diversity of media exposure the ACA provides, the series boasts the largest amount of televised and streaming coverage of any collegiate fishing series. This includes a dedicated television series on numerous television networks and streaming platforms, as well as additional coverage of select events inside other programs.

This combination includes coverage from national and regional television networks as well as being streamed online on various apps and connected devices. You can also find coverage via video on demand online at any time of past events thanks to coverage on OutdoorActionTV.com and PursuitUp.com

For more information on the ACA or the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, visit www.CollegiateBassChampionship.com.

For more information on CarecoTV, visit www.CarecoTV.com

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