Bass fishing team wins the New York State Bass Fishing Federation Collegiate Cup

The ESF bass fishing team traveled to Lake Champlain for the New York State Bass Fishing Federation Collegiate Cup Oct. 9 and came home with a big win.

The team hadn't fished in Lake Champlain previously and with the lake almost four feet lower than usual because of a lack of rain, nobody knew what to expect. The squad consisting of anglers Ethan Hall and Ray Bentz overcame a couple of boat issues to reel in a first-place finish for ESF, hauling in a combined 14.65 pounds of bass. The win automatically qualifies Bentz and Ray for an all-expense paid trip to the Cabela's U.S. Collegiate Cup Championship in Pickwick Lake, Alabama, May 25-26, 2017. The other half of the Mighty Oaks team, anglers Caleb Konrad and Lukas Matt finished in fourth place overall with a combined haul of 11.55 pounds. The tournament featured 16 teams from eight colleges.