Columbia State Community College’s Fishing Club won 14^th place at the eighth annual Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI Open tournament at Lake Chickamauga.

“We are in our second season with our Columbia State fishing team,” said Johnny Littrell, Columbia State athletic director. “Our fishing team has represented Columbia State very well while finishing in the top 20 in the Major League Fishing tournaments that qualified them to participate in the college nationals later this month located in Oklahoma. To compete at this level our team put in a lot of hours in practicing getting prepared for a long day of competition.”

A total of 275 teams competed in the tournament, which set a MLF record for the most teams to compete in the College Fishing Open. Out of these teams, the top 27 are advancing to the Abu Garcia College Fishing National Championship in 2023.

“It was a great tournament and I’m thankful to compete and represent Columbia State,” said Ryan Prince, Columbia State fishing club member. “I’m also thankful for the opportunity to advance to the next tournament.”

Columbia State’s fishing club members, Hunter Jones and Ryan Prince, are both from Mount Pleasant. The duo had a two-day cumulative total of six bass weighing in at 20 pounds, 5 ounces. Columbia State was the only Tennessee community college to advance to the national championship.

The Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI Open tournament was hosted by Fish Dayton and the Rhea Economic & Tourism Council. For more information and a complete list of winners, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.