Two Alabama colleges took home top prizes at this year’s Bass Pro Shops 2022 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship at Pickwick Lake in Florence.

In the two-angler team competition, Wallace State Community College anglers Bryar Chambers and Clent Blackwood were declared the national champions after an impressive two-day run.

Wallace State’s Clent Blackwood and Bryar Chambers hold four of the 10 fish they caught in the recent Bass Pro Shops 2022 BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship. That catch made them the top two-member team in the competition. (contributed)

Chambers and Blackwood finished with a total of 10 fish, weighing 46.91 pounds, just ahead of teams from Auburn University, Drury University and East Carolina University.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go out and win a championship,” said Chambers, a Fairview native. “It makes all the time we spend on the water worth it. There’s not much more we could ask for. It feels awesome to win an event on this circuit.”

The University of Montevallo fishing team was again crowned the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year.

Nearly 200 collegiate bass fishing teams from across the nation competed in the championship tournament May 26-27. Montevallo was named School of the Year for having amassed the most cumulative points of any team.

Last year, the Montevallo fishing team, which is part of the UM President’s Outdoor Scholars Program, earned the same achievement. Montevallo became just the third school to win back-to-back School of the Year honors in the history of the sport.

“There are only two other programs that have won this title twice,” said UM fishing coach William Crawford. “To be able to do that again is a real honor and shows the hard work that our guys have put forth this year.

“It’s hard to get a repeat title because everybody is gunning for you. We stepped up to the challenge and had another good year. It speaks to the team’s work ethic and commitment to be able to bring another national title home to the University of Montevallo.”

Wallace State’s Blackwood is a resident of Logan and fished for West Point High School in Cullman. He and Chambers believed they had an edge going into the tournament because of their familiarity with Pickwick Lake, which is a little more than 100 miles from the college.

They’ll continue to fish in the Collegiate Series June 10-11 at Saginaw Bay in Bay City, Michigan.

Wallace State’s bass fishing team began competing about 10 years ago, and the club has consistently sent members to the college series national championships.

John W. Stewart, president of the University of Montevallo, said he’s proud of his students for making Montevallo’s fishing team prominent nationally.

The tournament was presented by Abu Garcia.

View complete tournament results here.