Auburn Bass Fishing Team Reinstated After Drastic COVID-Related Suspension
Auburn’s teams of Carson Maddux and Rob Cruvellier and Connor Jacob and Sam Smith also had solid performances at the season-ending event, leaving Auburn as one of two schools with four teams among the top 41 finishers. Sam Hanggi and Sam Hoesley also qualified for nationals and finished 63rd in the final standings. The club team has been extremely successful, being named “one of the most storied college fishing programs in the sport’s history,”according to Wired2Fish.com. The culture surrounding bass fishing in Alabama and the U.S. is much deeper and more ingrained compared to other countries, including Canada. The fact that it has gained popularity and support at the collegiate level helps create more opportunities for young anglers.
After becoming a member of the team, there are a few things to expect. There are a set of qualifiers at the beginning of the year that are a series of five tournaments that determine rankings within the Auburn team. There are also weekly meetings where the team discusses anything important that’s going on. Qualifying 11 two-man teams to compete in the College B.A.S.S. National Championship is no small feat, but that’s exactly what the Auburn University Bass Fishing team accomplished this season.
@AuburnU why was the Auburn Bass Fishing Team suspended until 2022? @AuburnBassTeam https://t.co/SKmICSocJI
— Margaret Auburn Grad 1776 (@MargaretAUGrad) March 29, 2021
The team violated the travel and events policy in July 2020, February 2021 and March 2021, according to the document. During the suspension, no member of the team will be allowed to compete, recruit or represent the Auburn University Bass Fishing Team. In addition, team members are not allowed to wear uniforms or represent the team on any social media platforms.
Riding its wave of success, the Auburn bass fishing team is becoming a prominent name in the tournament fishing world, but success is nothing new for the anglers. With the rise in popularity of competitive bass fishing over the past few years, it is becoming more common for young anglers to base their college decision on their school of choice’s fishing team. “It was an incredible experience fishing my last collegiate bass national championship,” said Parks, a supply chain management graduate.
Auburn University’s bass fishing team earned its best-ever finish in the final collegiate rankings, taking second place behind the University of Montevallo. The Tigers qualified five teams for the national championship tournament, with two of those two-man tandems finishing in the top 10 at nationals. Auburn’s Bass Fishing Team met with Auburn University officials Tuesday and received a reduced suspension that will allow them to fish competitively this spring. The storied bass fishing team previously had been suspended until the 2022 season, but the team can now start fishing again on April 22 this month. Auburn University administrators have suspended the school’s bass fishing team until Jan. 1, 2022 due to repeated violations of COVID-19 policy, according to a memo. Auburn University suspended the bass fishing team last week citing multiple violations of the university’s COVID-19 policies.
@AuburnU why was the Auburn Bass Fishing Team suspended until 2022? @AuburnBassTeam https://t.co/SKmICSocJI
— Margaret Auburn Grad 1776 (@MargaretAUGrad) March 29, 2021
“I would have loved to bring home the win, but to end my five years fishing the Collegiate Bass Trail with a second place at the natty is pretty special, too. Tucker and I had an incredible day and one that we won’t soon forget. Auburn’s Garrett Warren and Hayden Marbut finished ninth at nationals with a final weight of 33.56, making the Tigers the only team with two tandems in the top 10 at the two-day event.
Recent graduate Logan Parks and Tucker Smith—who won the $1 million first-place prize at the Bass Pro Shops US Open National Bass Fishing Amateur Team Championships in November—finished second in the two-man tandem standings as well. “No member of the club can travel, recruit for, compete, or represent the Auburn University Bass Fishing Club in any capacity. This includes wearing Auburn University Bass Fishing Club uniforms or representing the Auburn University Bass Fishing Club on any social media programs, including but not limited to YouTube, Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook or Instagram. The storied Auburn Bass Fishing Club is off the water until 2022 following a suspension by the school after members of the team had multiple violations of COVID-19 policies. More than 20,000 people signed a petition urging Auburn University to reinstate the team.
Hanggi is responsible for talking with potential members, answering any questions they might have and making them feel like a welcomed member of the team. Of course, he will also take prospective members out for some fishing as well. The team now sits at almost 100 members, and its growth appears to be continuing steadily. Club Membership Chair Sam Hanggi explained their recruiting process for any young anglers looking to join the team. Former team president Logan Parks attributes much of their success to being able to recruit new members with diverse backgrounds.
Dion Liriano is a 51-year-old American zookeeper who has retired from the business. He was once a highly successful director of the Zoo and Aquarium, but he has since hung up his gloves and moved on to other ventures. Dion's passion for animals began at a young age, when he would help his father care for their family pets. This love grew exponentially when he started working at the zoo; Dion quickly became one of the most experienced keepers in the business. He credits his success to the relationships he built with both staff and animals over the years.