Bass fishing team qualified for major championship

Two members of the Nicholls State University Bass Fishing Team qualified for the Bassmaster College Series National Championship after winning 2 third place titles at the Bassmaster Regional Tournament January 26-28.

Tyler Rivet and Cameron Naquin will have the chance to compete in the National Championship this summer where 70-100 teams will fish for two days. The top 12 will compete on the final day where a national champion will be crowned. Then, the top four will move on to the Classic Bracket where the last individual standing will earn a spot to compete in the Bassmaster Classic with a shot to win $300,000.

This summer will mark Rivet’s fourth straight appearance at the National Championship and Naquin’s second time. Rivet was among the top 10 competitors at the National Championship the past two years, and made it into the Classic Bracket in 2015. Rivet said competitors have a much better chance of getting noticed when fishing in this prestigious bracket, and that the next step could potentially be going pro.

“It means a lot. This is my fourth year in a row since I started the bass team in 2013 to make it to the National Championship again, so it’s pretty exciting,” Rivet said. “I’m just trying to make the most of it because it could change our lives for sure.”

According to Naquin, the bass fishing team would not be where they are today if it wasn’t for the support of the community and local businesses who continue to help them reach their goals.

“It definitely means a lot to represent Nicholls State and the community,” Naquin said. “We depend a lot on local sponsors to help us front the cost of traveling and competing, so to qualify and have a shot at winning a National Championship definitely feels like we are giving back to the people and businesses that have helped us to continue doing what we love.”

Rivet said that the National Championship will be held either the last weekend in July or the first weekend in August, but that they do not know where it will take place. Although this makes it hard to prepare, Rivet said they will accept the challenge.

In the future, Rivet hopes that more people will join the bass fishing team so they can compete and represent Nicholls and the community on a larger scale. While Nicholls usually sends only one team to compete in fishing tournaments, other universities sometimes send five or more teams, and are more largely represented.

“We’re trying to get more people to fish on a team. The more teams we can get out there, the better the chances are of us doing good,” Rivet said. “I just do my best in every tournament and hope that it all works out.”