OSAGE BEACH, Mo. – The McKendree bass fishing team competed in the MLF Central Conference Qualifier this past Friday at the Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach, Mo. The event featured 181 teams from 47 universities and a chance to qualify for the MLF National Championship held in March. 

McKendree was represented by 13 boats, finishing with two boats in the top 10. Leading the Bearcats in the competition were Matt Cavanaugh (St. Louis, Mo./Kirkwood) and junior Jason Qualich (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson). The anglers caught five fish for a total of 15 pounds, 15 ounces, earning a fourth-place finish overall.
 
Freshmen Kai Barnett (Columbiana, Ala./Shelby County) and Gage Blimling (Jacksonville, Ill./Jacksonville) finished in seventh place, posting a 14-pound, 10-ounce total for their five bass.
 
The top 18 finishers advanced to the MLF National Championship in March in Kissimmee, Fla. Cavanaugh, Qualich, Barnett, and Bliming were among the finishers to earn the bid for the championship.
 
Below are the other Bearcat teams who weighed in for the day:
 
24th – sophomore Kyle Hopping (Lake St. Louis, Mo./Timberland) and sophomore Evan Sutton (Highland, Ill./Highland) with 10 pounds, 15 ounces.
 
50th – junior Harmon Marien (Eagle River, Wisc./Northland Pines) and senior Bailey Bleser (Burlington, Wisc./Catholic Central) with 7 pounds, 10 ounces.
 
64th – fifth-year senior Trey Schroeder (Crestwood, Mo./Lindbergh) and Tyler Christy (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) with 6 pounds, 4 ounces.
 
67th – Parker Domschke (Bolingbrook, Ill./Nequa Valley) with 6 pounds, 2 ounces.
 
71st – sophomores Jack Stephens (St. Louis, Mo./Lindbergh) and Maxwell Trotter (Decatur, Ill./St. Teresa) with 5 pounds, 15 ounces.
 
72nd – sophomore Lane Stephens (Talala, Okla./Oologah) and senior Devon Rathbun (Springfield, Mo./Parkview) with 5 pounds, 13 ounces.
 
87th – juniors Tomas Matual (Chicago, Ill./Nazareth Academy) and Grant Olsen (Gardner, Ill./Gardner South Wilmington) with 4 pounds, 12 ounces.
 
102nd – freshmen Zach Pocos (Norwalk, Ohio/St. Paul) and Tucker Siminak (Antioch, Ill./Antioch) with 3 pounds, 15 ounces.
 
103rd – sophomore Jaxson Freeman (Loda, Ill./Rantoul) and senior Nick Holtgrave (Trenton, Ill./Wesclin) with 3 pounds, 14 ounces.
 
112th – junior Colton Hill (Patoka, Ill./Patoka) and senior Trey Budach (Morris, Ill./Morris) with 3 pounds.
 
126th – juniors Kurt Litteken (Lebanon, Ill./Wesclin) and Colsyn Head (Poland, Ind./Owen Valley) with 2 pounds, 2 ounces.
 
The Bearcats continue their season this coming weekend at the Pickwick Lake Slam in Counce, Tenn.