Montevallo Fishing Extends Historic Streak with Fifth School of the Year Title

The University of Montevallo added to its historic record by capturing a fifth consecutive Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia title following the season-ending 2025 Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship event May 22-23 at Lake Hartwell in South Carolina.

The Falcons overwhelmed the field after seniors Dalton Head and Peyton Harris captured the team’s first national championship at the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship, the premier event on the collegiate fishing circuit. Head and Harris finished the two-day tournament with a total weight of 37.14 pounds.

“It’s the one title that has been eluding us,” said Harris, a Chelsea, Alabama, native who teamed up with Head from nearby Moody, Alabama, to capture the title. “Bringing it home feels amazing.”

Montevallo accumulated the most points of any team in the nation for the fifth year in a row. The Falcons edged the University of North Alabama, an in-state rival seeking to become the second team to ever win three titles, in the School of the Year standings.

The School of the Year title adds to another banner year for the UM fishing team. Easton Fothergill, who earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration in marketing in May 2024, claimed the Bassmaster Classic championship in February after topping a field of the best professional anglers in the world.

The Falcons will compete for a sixth consecutive Bass Pro Shops School of the Year title, which will be awarded following the Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops May 21-22, 2026, at Pickwick Lake in Florence, Alabama.