Oklahoma wins FLW College Fishing event on Lake Texoma

The University of Oklahoma team of Paul Muzljakovic of Wagoner, Okla., and Tyler Nipper of Norman, Okla., won the National Guard FLW College Fishing Texas Division event on Lake Texoma Saturday with four bass weighing 10 pounds, 13 ounces. Anglers: Paul Muzljakovich, Tyler Nipper.

May 14, 2011 • MLF • Abu Garcia College Fishing

DENISON, Texas – The University of Oklahoma team of Paul Muzljakovic of Wagoner, Okla., and Tyler Nipper of Norman, Okla., won the National Guard FLW College Fishing Texas Division event on Lake Texoma Saturday with four bass weighing 10 pounds, 13 ounces.

The victory earned the team $10,000 to be split between the university and the university’s bass fishing club – $7,500 for the bass club and $2,500 for their school. The win also secured them a position in the Texas Division Regional Championship.

“We did not get much preparation time in as our school and test schedules have been very hectic,” said Nipper, a junior energy management major. “We got here late yesterday and got a couple hours of sleep in the parking lot and went out on the water this morning.”

“We did not have a real definitive plan,” added Nipper. “We went out and were hoping to get something going early and go from there. We threw all different kinds of stuff from topwaters to jigs, and we were fortunate enough to get what we did to get us here.”

With only 21 of the 40 teams bringing fish to the stage, the conditions challenged everyone.

“The day was tough due to the conditions,” said Muzljakovic, a junior majoring in accounting. “There was 15 mph wind pounding the marina this morning and that put a damper on everybody’s day. A cold front and storm came through earlier this week and we thought it would be tough and it was.”

“We started out today junk fishing and about 11 a.m., my partner started catching fish on a crankbait and I caught one on a jig and it just worked out from there for us.”

The duo said they caught their fish on a crawdad square-billed crankbait and a Trendsettertackle 5/16 oz. River Craw finesse jig with a green pumpkin Zipper Grub trailer.

Rounding out the top five teams and also advancing to the Texas Regional Championship are:

2nd: Texas A&M University – Weston Brown, Bryan Texas, and Andrew Shafer, College, Texas (five bass, 9-6, $2,000)

3rd: Stephen F. Austin – Ryan Watkins, Nacogdoches, Texas, and Andrew Upshaw, Hemphill, Texas (five bass, 8-15, $2,000)

4th: Oral Roberts University – Mark Johnson, Glenpool, Okla., and Zach Vankuelen, Overland Park, Kan. (five bass, 8-13, $2,000)

5th: Southeastern Louisiana University – Austin Crowson, Livingston, La., and Andrew Cavell, Baton Rouge, La. (four bass, 7-10, $2,000)

(Note – Although the LSU-Shreveport team of Joe Landry and Gavin Havard originally finished in second place, the team was ultimately disqualified for fishing license violations.)

The top five teams from each tournament qualify for the regional championship where the first-place team will win $12,500 cash for their school and $12,500 cash and a Ranger 177TR bass boat with a 90 horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard wrapped in school colors for their fishing club. The top five teams from each regional tournament advance to the national championship where the first-place team will win $25,000 for their school and $50,000 cash and a Ranger 177TR bass boat with a 90-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard wrapped in school colors for their fishing club.

College Fishing is free to enter and FLW Outdoors provides boats and drivers for each competing team along with travel allowances. All participants must be registered, full-time undergraduate students at a four-year college or university and members of a fishing club recognized by their college or university.

The top five finishing schools from each the four qualifying tournaments in the Texas Division have advanced to the National Guard FLW College Texas Regional Championship. The dates and location of the tournament will be announced in the near future.

For complete details and updated information, browse this website. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow College Fishing on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWCollegeFishing.

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