BassPack, N.C. State’s club fishing team, won its second national championship in three years July 12 at the Under Armour College Bass National Championship on the Arkansas River in North Little Rock, Arkansas. One team of anglers was allowed from each of the approximately 69 schools.
Chris Wood, a junior in textile engineering, and Will White, a senior in wood products, won $7,000 in cash and prizes and the second national championship for the team, albeit in different tournaments. The pairing of Chad Craven and Alex Freeman won the Boat U.S. National Collegiate Championships in 2006.
“We’re the only school in the country to win both of those, which is a really big accomplishment,” Wood said. “No one else has done that.”
In the Under Armour tournament, anglers went after large-mouth bass 15 inches or longer and spotted bass 12 inches or longer with a five-fish limit. On the third and final day, Wood and White returned with a 14.43 pound-bag, the most single-day weight that any team caught throughout the tournament.
“I’m absolutely excited,” Wood said. “I’m more stunned, because the first day of the tournament, we were so far behind the leader. I didn’t think we had a chance.”
The duo came close to an early exit after struggling during their first day. Despite heading out onto the Arkansas River six days before the tournament started, their practice didn’t translate and they came in 15th after the opening day after catching only 4.9 pounds worth of fish.
The second day, White and Wood came in with 9.57 pounds, enough to launch them into fifth place. Only the top five advanced.
“We got better and better as the tournament went on and most everybody else got worse,” White said. “Their fish ran out for them. That rarely happens.”
Before the third day, the scores were zeroed, giving the BassPack a fresh start. White said on the final day, it came down to the wire. Using crank baits to combat the windy, overcast conditions, Wood and White were lucky to catch several large fish early in the day but couldn’t lure the last one into their boat.
“We caught our first four keepers before 9 a.m., and then we wound up catching our last keeper to fill out our five-fish limit at about 1:20 p.m.,” Wood said. “We had to be back at 2:15, so it is kind of like a last minute deal.”
They turned and headed back after finally snaring their final keeper.
“We were stressing today because we only had those four fish,” Wood said. “When we finally caught that last fish, we ran back to the ramp. There was no point in sitting out there and waiting because it was the biggest sack in the tournament and I didn’t think anyone else could beat that.”
He was right. He and White’s total brought them to over 14 pounds – more than 8 pounds heavier than second-place North Texas. They went to the podium and happily accepted their paddle-shaped trophies.
“I was speechless when I got up on the stage,” Wood said. “Will did most of the talking, because I didn’t really know what to tell them.”
ESPNU will be airing clips from the event Wednesday, Aug. 5 and Sunday, Aug. 9. White said the win will boost recruitment, as the team’s previous national championship victory did.
“It’s great for the club,” White said. “We’ve got more members and we’re one of the oldest clubs of any school in the country. We’re going to be competitive for years.”
