HICKORY, N.C. — Only in its first year of existence, the Catawba Valley Community College bass fishing program is already starting to make waves on a national level.

The Red Hawks were ranked among the top 100 programs in the latest Bass Pro Shops School of Year standings, which were released on Thursday by the Association of Collegiate Anglers (ACA).

Catawba Valley is ranked 93rd overall in the standings, but is fifth overall among junior colleges in the nation and also fifth among bass fishing programs in the state of North Carolina.

"I was excited to see that we have moved up into the top 100," said CVCC bass fishing head coach Angela Mayo. "The team is working really hard to figure out how to compete at this level. To have a team of mostly freshmen out there competing against four-year colleges with a lot more experience and to break in to the top 100 midway through our first season is amazing. I'm looking forward to watching them grow and move on up in the rankings."

The School of Year standings are based on B.A.S.S. (Bass Anglers Sportsman Society) and Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) events that each school competes in. So far this school year, the Red Hawks have competed in three such events, including Nov. 2, 2019 on Lake Hartwell (Anderson, S.C.), Feb. 7 on Lake Seminole (Bainbridge, Ga.) and Feb. 27-29 on Smith Lake (Cullman, Ala.).

Those three tournaments earned CVCC a total of 1,610 points, including 630 points on Lake Hartwell, 445 points on Lake Seminole and 535 points on Smith Lake.

Among bass fishing teams from North Carolina, the Red Hawks trailed only UNC Charlotte, East Carolina University, North Carolina State University and Western Carolina University, and Catawba Valley ranked ahead of four-year programs from Appalachian State University, Wake Forest University and UNC Greensboro.

In the junior college ranks, CVCC was only behind Snead State Community College (29th - Boaz, Ala.), Calhoun Community College (54th - Decatur, Ala.), Itawamba Community College (83rd - Fulton, Miss.) and Pearl River Community College (90th - Poplarville, Miss.). The Red Hawks are also the only two-year bass fishing program from North Carolina to be ranked.

The Catawba Valley Community College bass fishing team returns to action on March 26-28 for the 2020 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series at Lake Hartwell presented by Bass Pro Shops in Anderson, S.C.

Bass Pro Shops School of the Year - Community College ranks
    1.    Snead State Community College - Boaz, Ala. (29th)
    2.    Calhoun Community College - Decatur, Ala. (54th)
    3.    Itawamba Community College - Fulton, Miss. (83rd)
    4.    Pearl River Community College - Poplarville, Miss. (90th)
    5.    Catawba Valley Community College - Hickory, N.C. (93rd)
    6.    Wallace State Community College - Hanceville, Ala. (104th)
    7.    Central Louisiana Tech Community College - Alexandria, La. (112th)
    8.    Jefferson State Community College - Birmingham, Ala. (137th)
    9.    Southern Union State Community College - Wadley, Ala. (147th)
    10.    Northeast Texas Community College - Mt. Pleasant, Texas (165th)
    11.    Mid-Plains Community College - Nebraska (176th)
    12.    Wytheville Community College - Wytheville, Va. (180th)
    13.    Northwest Arkansas Community College - Bentonville, Ark. (198th)
    14.    Hind Community College - Raymond, Miss. (208th)
    15.    Southwest Mississippi Community College - Summit, Miss. (217th)
    16.    Central Alabama Community College - Alexander City, Ala. (221st)
    17.    Mott Community College - Flint, Mich. (222nd)
    18.    Shelton State Community College - Tuscaloosa, Ala. (223rd)
    19.    Wallace Community College - Dothan/Eufalula (240th)
    20.    Grand Rapids Community College - Grand Rapids, Mich. (247th)
    21.    Ashland Community & Technical College - Ashland, Ky. (252nd)
    22.    Community College of Baltimore County - Baltimore, Md. (256th)
    23.    Gadsden State Community College - Gadsden, Ala. (261st)
    24.    Glen Oaks Community College - Centreville, Mich. (262nd)
    25.    Hutchinson Community College - Hutchinson, Kansas (266th)
    26.    Moraine Valley Community College - Palos Hills, Ill. (277th)
    27.    Northwest Shoals Community College - Muscle Shoals, Ala. (281st)
    28.    Patrick Henry Community College - Martinsville, Va. (284th)
    29.    Schoolcraft Community College - Michigan (289th)
    30.    St. Charles Community College - Cottleville, Mo. (290th)
    31.    Tulsa Community College - Tusla, Okla. (299th)
    32.    Virginia Highlands Community College - Abingdon, Va. (314th)

Bass Pro Shops School of the Year - North Carolina school ranks
    1.    UNC-Charlotte (50th)
    2.    East Carolina University (75th)
    3.    North Carolina State (80th)
    4.    Western Carolina (89th)
    5.    Catawba Valley Community College (93rd)
    6.    Appalachian State (196th)
    7.    Wake Forest University (224th)
    8.    UNC Greensboro (310th)