Bethel Anglers net additional hardware

MCKENZIE, Tenn. — The Bethel University Bass Cats continue to reel in national awards during their historic 2018 campaign.

“We were the first college or university to offer for the sport of bass fishing,” said Head Bass Fishing Coach, Garry Mason.

Mason says the program has come a long way since it started in 2009 with only three anglers and a walk on. The team will have 37 anglers this fall on their squad.

“Now we are a nationally known school in the sport of bass fishing and we get to compete against teams from the SEC and all the big conferences,” Mason said.

Mason has seen growth not only within his own program over years, but across the country in the sport of bass fishing.

“Everywhere we go, some of the greatest anglers in the world are who we are competing against and the ones that are going to school here at Bethel University and they prove it at every tournament as we do well almost everywhere we go,” Mason added.

Coach Mason says the anglers’ success started as they qualified to go to three different national championships this year and have fished on three different national championship trails.

The Bass Cats have reeled the awards in by the numbers this year. They first claimed the Cabelas Boat US National Championship and then the ACA School of the Year title.

“… out of over 600 colleges that compete for that title.. and then we went on and won second place in the FWL national championship and this past week we won the Bassmasters National Championship,” Mason said.

The anglers say their teamwork is the difference in making their dream work and hope to set the standard for the incoming anglers.

“… and that’s the biggest thing, we work as a team here and that is how we get our success and you now with the younger guys coming up. They get to see that and learn from what we do and you know they will be able to pass it down to the kids upcoming to them,” said Team Captain John Garrett, a 5th year senior.

The Bethel Bass Cats almost landed the triple crown of college fishing and according to Coach Mason no other school has been as close to a triple crown as McKenzie’s own.