TAHLEQUAH – The Northeastern State University fishing team was ranked among the top 30 collegiate teams in the nation and as the top team in Oklahoma through the Association of Collegiate Anglers rankings as of Feb. 7.

“It means a lot for us to place where we have in the rankings,” Trenton Underwood, NSU Fishing team president, said. “We have a great group of guys that don’t give up easily and are constantly fishing. It is good to see the hard work of the team start to pay off.”

Underwood said the team was officially established in 2016 and is now recognized as a club sport through NSU. He said the team has consistently ranked high in the standings from 2018-2020 and is excited about where the team will place at the end of the season.

“As an advisor, I could not be prouder of how the fishing team represents NSU on the national level,” Chris Adney, NSU Fishing team advisor, said. “This recognition is fantastic for NSU for exposure and recruitment of potential new students. When considering the program, the recognition is their reward for the immense amount of time and effort they dedicated.”

The team mainly competes in the southeastern states, from Oklahoma to South Carolina and occasionally ventures to Wisconsin and New York.

“At the end of the 2024 season, we will have roughly fished seven states,” Underwood said. “In college fishing, there are four different divisions we can fish: Bass Nation, Bassmaster, MLF and ACA and there are three different National Championships to qualify for, each having different requirements.”

With the team now being recognized as a club sport at NSU, scholarships totaling up to $14,000 per year are now available to students. Underwood said there are currently six people on scholarship. The requirements for the scholarships look at high school fishing standings as well as standard scholarship requirements.

For more information about the NSU team, visit facebook.com/nsufishing.