KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The Adrian College bass fishing team traveled 1,155 miles to Kissimmee, Florida to compete in the 15
th Annual Major League Fishing Abu Garcia National Championship. After a massive weigh-in on the final day, the Bulldog duo of
Braylon Eggerding and
Lucas Washburn were named National Champions. Adrian College has now won a National Championship for MLF and B.A.S.S. who serve as the two largest fishing governing bodies. The team won the B.A.S.S. National Championship in 2021.
Each team fished two days on Lake Toho in Kissimmee, Florida and had the opportunity to bring in up to five bass each day. The scoring was determined by total weight of the submitted fish.
Eggerding and Washburn brought in a two-day total of 42 pounds, 4 ounces to claim the National Championship. The duo totaled 18 points, 11 ounces on the opening day followed by 23 pounds, 9 ounces in the finale.
With the Championship finish, Eggerding and Washburn will win $43,500 ($10,000 will be in cash while the remaining money will go towards a new boat), and have free entry into the 2024 Toyota Series Professional Championship later this year. The team also claimed an additional $250 for catching the largest fish of the tournament at 11 pounds, 7 ounces.
Gerry Brumbaugh Jr. and
Mitch Straffon competed as a duo where they placed 10th with a two-day total of 35 pounds. Brumbaugh and Straffon sat in second place after day one with a five fish total of 23 pounds, 4 ounces before bringing in a day two total of 11 pounds, 12 ounces.
Both duos for the Bulldogs that placed in the top-10 teams consisted of sophomores. Eggerding and Washburn claim 300 points towards the Abu Garcia School of the Year standings while Brumbaugh and Straffon add 290 points.
The other Adrian College duos on Lake Toho were
Carter Ball and
Elliot Wielgopolski,
Aaron Jagdfeld and
Dalton Mollenkopf,
Brady Pinwar and
Derek Rodriguez, and
Russel Buffa and
Kobe Thompson.
The Bulldogs will hit the road again from January 26-27 when they travel to Columbia, South Carolina to compete in a B.A.S.S. tournament on Lake Murray.
