Lebanon, Ill.— McKendree University has sweetened the pot for the winners of the Costa Bassmaster High School Midwestern Open set for June 5 at Clinton Lake.
The Illinois university is granting a renewable $2,500 annual scholarship (for up to four years) to each member of the winning team at the Midwestern Open to use for attending the school and joining the McKendree University Bearcat Bass Fishing Team. If the winning anglers have already signed with the McKendree team, the prize from the Open would allow them to receive an additional $500 annual scholarship over the scholarship they already received.
The scholarship offer gives McKendree an opportunity to recruit members for the bass fishing team. “There are going to be some of the best teams in the central part of the country fishing at this tournament at Clinton and our university is about two hours away from there so it is the pool of anglers I draw from when I recruit,” said John Rinderer, the university’s bass fishing coach. “We just wanted to offer a scholarship and try to land a couple of great fishermen for our university.”
The McKendree bass fishing program is in its third year of existence and its team competes in three college bass fishing circuits including the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series.
The Midwestern Open is first time McKendree has offered scholarships for a Bassmaster high school event. “B.A.S.S. is proud of this partnership with McKendree,” said Hank Weldon, B.A.S.S. senior manager of the college and high school programs. “We have a few colleges who have done this with us already. It is always a great day when a student can be offered a chance for their education to be paid for, especially when it is directly from fishing.”
