UM students Justin Barnes and Adam Caroll are ranked #1 for Bass Rankings’ 2-Year College Team Rankings. The 2-Year Team Rankings measure a team’s performance over the past two years with a six-tournament minimum and include ACA, BASS, FLW, and independent school opens, invitationals or qualifiers. The criteria demonstrate which programs are the most consistent over the course of time instead of high rankings in only one season.
“The unique thing about the two-year ranking for the college level is that it allows anglers to see how they rank over half of their careers,” Bass Rankings Editor Sean Ostruszka said.
When Caroll, a UM sophomore, first heard news of the accomplishment he was more surprised than anything else.
“I’ve never been #1 before, so the ranking was unexpected, but very cool,” said Caroll.
The Carrollton, Georgia native has practiced bass fishing for the majority of his life, getting his start when he was just five years old.
Likewise, Monroeville, Alabama native and UM junior Barnes has been bass fishing since he was 11 and aspires to one day do so professionally.
“Being ranked #1 feels awesome, but just like any sport there’s always room for improvement,” said Barnes. “We were very consistent with having good finishes this year, but we would really like to win a national level college bass tournament.”
Both Barnes and Caroll are members of the Outdoor Scholars Program at UM. The program gives outdoor-minded students a way to stay involved in that passion while in college and provide insight into future employment opportunities within the outdoor industry, with an emphasis on conservation and game management.