Neoga Graduate Andrew Althoff To Compete In Nationals

 Andrew Althoff (left) and teammate Ethan Jones hold up their championship plaques.

Andrew Althoff, a 2016 graduate of Neoga High School, will be competing among the elite fishermen in coming days.

A senior at McKendree College, Althoff and his partner Ethan Jones (Father McGivney) claimed the championship of the 2020 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Regional, presented by Bass Pro Shops on Smith Lake in Alabama last weekend.

The Bearcats had three teams competing in the 258 boat field and they took first, 74th and 159th.

Althoff and Jones ended the first day on top of the leader board with four largemouth catches and one spotted bass that weighed in at 19 pounds, 13 ounces.

In the second day of competition, the pair remained in the lead with five largemouth bass that weighed 18 pounds, 2 ounces.

On the third and final day, Althoff and Jones started slow but ended up with three fish and finished out with a total catch of 13 bass weighing 47 pounds, 4 ounces for the championship.

The pair advances to the National championship, time and place yet to be determined.

The duo is also among the top 10 teams from the College Series Tournament that advance to an exhibition tournament at the Bassmaster Classic this Sunday at Lay Lake in Alabama. The exhibition tourneys feature the top names in high school and college fishing.

But before that, however, Althoff and Jones will take part in the FLW Central Conference Qualifier on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri this Friday.