SHELBY COUNTY, Ala. - While practicing for an upcoming collegiate bass fishing event on Lay Lake in Alabama, McKendree University angler Trevor McKinney was struck by lightning. McKinney and fellow teammate Blake Jackson were running back to the boat ramp ahead of an incoming storm when their boat was struck by lightning. The anglers made it back to the ramp safely, and McKinney was fully checked out by EMS and given the all-clear before leaving the lake. 
 
"It was kind of getting dark, and we kind of wanted to run down a little closer to the boat ramp. We knew storms were kind of in the area, but not close," noted Jackson. "It starts raining and we start taking off down the lake. We're running about 55-60 (MPH), something like that.  And then it just starts raining, so I duck down in the bottom of the boat and kind of just turn around a little bit so it's not pelting me in the face. Next thing I know, he's running, and I just see this bolt of lightning right in my face.  It appeared to either hit Trevor's shoulder or seat…but it was just right there in your face." 

"I was just kind of stunned you know.  It was something that you'd never expect just driving down the lake.  Honestly, it felt like somebody shot me with a taser.  My body just kind of froze up.  For an hour afterwards I was just kind of shaking," explained McKinney. 

Following several intense moments in the boat as McKinney regrouped and began to recover from the incident, Jackson took control of the boat and safely navigated the pair back to the boat ramp roughly 25 miles away.  Upon arriving back to the boat ramp, McKendree Coach Jon Rinderer had the EMS and other emergency personnel waiting on shore to provide any needed medical care. 

"Shelby County emergency personnel were incredible. They got Trevor right in the truck, checked his EKG, heart rate, and blood pressure," Rinderer said. 

After getting the okay to go back out on the water, the duo decided to forego the remainder of their final day of practice. 

The storm that affected McKinney and Jackson was still roughly 20 miles away at the moment that lightning struck their boat.  "It was the only lightning bolt that we had seen all day.  There weren't any before that, and we didn't see any after.  You know, it never even really stormed where we was.  Out of nowhere that came down and it was kind of just one of those freak accidents," Jackson added. 

Between school, work and other obligations, the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series Wild Card presented by Bass Pro Shops at Lay Lake was the only chance for Jackson and McKinney to qualify for the National Championship. 

To make it even more special, this tournament was held on the same lake where the anglers squared off against each other in the final round of the College Classic Bracket last season, with McKinney winning and advancing to the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk. 

With this tournament win under their belts, Jackson said Lay Lake will hold a special place in his mind and, for this tournament in particular, the best part was fishing with McKinney and not against him. 

"The best part about this week, we were catching fish on the same bait for the most part (that we used) during the bracket against each other," Jackson said. "We combined forces this week and were catching them on the same exact bait we were throwing then. It was really neat." 

After landing in third place on Day 1 with 15-11, McKinney and Jackson started the day on a spot they found with 30 minutes to go the previous day. Using almost exclusively a Rapala DT6 crankbait, the duo took advantage of the early morning bite and strong current in the mid-lake region. Thanks to a 14-pound, 7-ounce bag of mostly spotted bass on the final day, they increased their two-day total to 30-2 to take home the victory. 

"We had a couple of current breaks on the main river that we were targeting," said McKinney, who finished 31st in the Classic earlier this month on Lake Ray Roberts. "We caught them really well this morning and had all of our weight by 8:30 am. The current by the end of the day was almost nonexistent.  
 
McKinney and Jackson will now be joining four other McKendree teams previously qualified for the Bassmaster Championship on the St. Lawrence River in Waddington, New York in August.