Avery Hammock and Garrett Smith of Erskine College

March 28. Avery Hammock and Garrett Smith felt a gamut of emotions this week in winning the Strike King Bassmaster College Series at Lake Norman presented by Bass Pro Shops.

They came to Cornelius with no guarantee of even competing, but made it from the waitlist into the tournament. They were in fourth place on Day 1, but on Day 2 their weight dropped.

$2,601 cash prize

In the end, however, the duo from Erskine College in South Carolina weighed an even 31 pounds in the two-day event and won a cash prize of $2,601 to split evenly. Their victory also earned them a berth in the Bassmaster College Series National Championship to be held later this year.

The sophomores caught a five-bass limit of 17-15 Friday but were a full 4 1/2 pounds behind Day 1 leaders Luke Glasgow and James Ikerd of Mississippi State. The leaders caught only three keepers on Day 2, however, while Hammock and Smith weighed another limit, this one for a steady 13-1.

That was just enough to hold off the competition. Joshua DeKoning and Dalton Mollenkopf of Adrian College in Michigan finished second with 10 bass for 30-9 and Glasgow and Ikerd placed third with eight bass for 30-7.

It was a thrilling win for the Erskine anglers — Hammock, from Flowery Branch, Ga., and Smith, from Mt. Holly.

“I had a test on Thursday and couldn’t get here before then,” Hammock said. “But (Smith) was here to register if we could.”

“They were packing up the sponsor tables when I walked in,” Smith said. “(Erskine) had the last three teams to get into the tournament.”