Arkansas Tech University fishing club members John Foster Case of Clarksville and Mat Higby of Lamar finished 15th among the 284 teams that competed in the 2025 AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open on Lake Dardanelle Saturday, Oct. 11, and Sunday, Oct. 12.
Case and Higby arrived at the scales with 19.87 pounds of bass on day one and were in first place at the midpoint of the competition. They weighed in 7.06 pounds on Sunday to finish with a two-day total of 26.93 pounds.
University of North Alabama anglers Bryce DiMauro and Tripp Berlinsky won the tournament with a two-day total of 33.77 pounds.
A total of 10 ATU fishing club teams competed in the 2025 AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open, which is part of the Association of Collegiate Anglers and Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series.
The additional ATU teams consisted of Remington Lawrence and Jade Craft (53rd, 20.79 pounds), Michael McCarty and Lathen McGuire (118th, 14.69 pounds), Aaron Gabe and Logan Lanier (193rd, 8.1 pounds), Zeke Stevens and Kade Ratcliff (T-224th, 5.32 pounds), Ben Newborn and David Culp (253rd, 3.59 pounds), Kyle Pinkston and Abram Davis (265th, 2.18 pounds), Ryan Frank and Katelynn Smith (T-271st, 0 pounds), Jace Richard and Wiley Carroll (T-271st, 0 pounds) and Gabe Hagler and Cody Allen (T-271st, 0 pounds).
The tournament is made possible through support provided by the Russellville Advertising and Promotion Commission, which has partnered with the Association of Collegiate Anglers to bring events to Lake Dardanelle since 2016.
According to information provided by the Russellville Advertising and Promotion Commission, the 2025 AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open had an estimated economic impact of $573,000 on the Arkansas River Valley.
