Fishing Falcons to Compete in National Championship
Two members of the Fairmont State University Fishing Falcons will compete in the National Guard FLW College Fishing National Championship on April 10-12, 2010, in Knoxville, Tenn.
Brent Dodrill, a sophomore occupational safety major from Fairmont, and Wil Dieffenbauch, a sophomore civil engineering major from Hundred, will be one of five, two-person teams representing the region. The pair earned the honor due to their fifth place finish in the National Guard FLW College Fishing Northern Regional event on Lake Norman in Davidson, N.C., in November.
Dodrill and Dieffenbauch won $6,000 for their fifth place finish in the regional event, catching 12 bass weighing in at a total of 18 pounds 6 ounces. Other top five finishers in the regional event were North Carolina State University, first place; Virginia Tech, second place; Hampden-Sydney College, third place; and another Virginia Tech team, fourth place.
"It is an amazing experience. We had a great time at the qualifying events and the regional championship and we were informed that the national championship will be even better. The National Guard and FLW really know how to throw a party. We have met a lot of people and made a lot of new friends from all over that are cheering for us," Dieffenbauch said.
"This is great exposure for Fairmont State University to be seen across the country on the web, in newspapers and on television around the world and to show we can hold our own against much larger schools. It has been my dream for as long as I can remember to be a professional angler and this takes me one step closer. We are one win away from fishing the biggest bass fishing tournament in the world for up to $1 million. We weren't really prepared for all the events this year because our club wasn't established until late, but look for us to really do well this coming year in every event. I have a lot of confidence in our members and I think we will be dangerous in every event."
The National Guard FLW College Fishing National Championship will feature 25 teams, five teams from each region. Teams will be provided shirts and wrapped Ranger boats towed by Chevy trucks for the competition. The purse for the championship ranges from $25,000 cash and a Ranger 177TR with a 90-horsepower Evinrude or Yamaha outboard wrapped in school colors for the winning club and $50,000 for the school they represent to $15,000 for fifth place, split between the club and the school. The winning team will qualify for the Forrest Wood Cup presented by BP and Castrol in 2010. The winners will also receive use of a wrapped boat and Chevy truck for the Forrest Wood Cup.
The Fishing Falcons is a recognized Club Sport at FSU. The Club Sports Program promotes participation in a wide variety of activities, complementing the Intramural Sports Program and the Varsity Athletic Program.
"Club Sports are fairly new to our campus, and it's exciting to see the Fishing Falcons doing so well. Both Brent and Wil are to be commended for their representation of not only themselves and their club, but of the institution as well. Their success may help open the doors for future Club Sports on our campus," said Tina Mascaro, Director of Intramurals and Recreation.
Club Sports are designed to help students develop leadership, financial and organizational management skills through the opportunity to create, organize and run their own club. The Department of Intramurals advises the clubs and provides administrative assistance, but the success of each club depends on the dedication and commitment of its student leaders and members. All Club Sports are required to adhere to the policies set forth in the Student Organization Handbook. For more information about FSU Club Sports, contact Tina Mascaro at (304) 367-4291.
FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. For more information, visit http://www.flwoutdoors.com/.
