BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — High school students excelling in angling, academics and conservation awareness are among dozens of young anglers chosen for the 2015 Bassmaster High School All-State Fishing Team.
Interest in the team is influenced by exceptionally strong growth in the B.A.S.S. High School Nation.
“These qualifiers are helping shape the future of the sport, one high school at a time,” said Hank Weldon, manager for the B.A.S.S. High School program. “We are excited to showcase the academic and all-around attributes of our high school members through this new initiative.”
To be considered for inclusion on the Bassmaster High School All-State Fishing Team, a student was nominated by a parent, coach, teacher or other school official. Students currently enrolled in grades 10-12 with a current-year grade point average of 2.5 or higher are eligible.
B.A.S.S. received more than 200 nominations from across the nation. From these, judges selected 57 anglers from 33 states to make the All-State Fishing Team.
Now, a second panel of judges is further narrowing the field to create the first Bassmaster High School All-American Fishing Team. The 12 All-Americans will be selected from the All-State team members. Criteria include success in high school fishing tournaments and involvement in conservation efforts and other community service activities.
The final team of 12 members will compete in a one-day Bassmaster All-American High School Bass Tournament held during the 2015 BASSfest event, a fan-favorite festival that is one of nine Bassmaster Elite Series bass tournaments underway this year.
Elite Series anglers will serve as “coaches” for the student anglers in the June 6 tournament on Lake Barkley, Tennessee. The high school standouts will be honored on the main BASSfest stage at the weigh-in. All will be profiled in Bassmaster Magazine, read monthly by 3.2 million people, as well as on Bassmaster.com.
Below is the list of the 57 All-State anglers, in order by state:
Zeke Gossett, Alabama
Laura Ann Foshee, Alabama
Reese Jones, Arkansas
Warren Basinger, Arkansas
Julius Mazy, Arizona
Mateo Gomez, California
Louie Marques, California
Josh Villa, Colorado
Ryan Wood, Colorado
Kyle Tomlinson, Florida
Conner Giella, Georgia
Jake Mims, Georgia
Hunter Reifschneider, Iowa
Austin Eiben, Iowa
Nathan Doty, Illinois
John Neubauer, Illinois
Remington Wagner, Kansas
Cameron Pappan, Kansas
Mason Shelton, Kentucky
Matt Brown, Kentucky
Spencer Lambert, Louisiana
Wesley Holt, Louisiana
Michael Duarte, Maryland
Joseph McClosky, Maryland
Nick Montilino, Minnesota
Matt Stearns, Minnesota
Joe Grafeman, Missouri
Kaleb Lewis, Missouri
Quincy Grupenhoff, Montana
Austin Johnson, Montana
Ty Cox, Mississippi
Kameron Johnson, Mississippi
Kannon Baker, North Carolina
Cole Luetkenhaus, Nebraska
Cameron Sterritt, New Hampshire
Tyler Spiers, New Hampshire
Michael Arndt, New York
Julian Sosa-Carver, New Mexico
Trevor Yates, Oklahoma
Nick Osman, Pennsylvania
Garrett Enders, Pennsylvania
Christopher Bensel, South Carolina
Carter McNeil, South Carolina
Adam Hutmacher, South Dakota
Jake Lee, Tennessee
Trevor St. John, Tennessee
Dillon Harrell, Texas
Jared Penton, Texas
Tyler Rollman, Utah
Connor Burn, Utah
James Graves III, Virginia
Dylan Berry, Virginia
Max Bellinghiri, Vermont
Rudd Rexford, Vermont
Brodie Trapp, Washington
Noah Caldwell, West Virginia
Zachary Horrocks, West Virginia
