Michigan's Kevin VanDam Wins Inaugural Berkley Heavyweight Award
KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., has added to his legendary status in professional bass fishing by winning the inaugural Berkley Heavyweight Award on the Bassmaster Elite Series tournament trail. The three-time Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year received the top prize of $15,000 at the season-ending Sunshine Showdown presented by Allstate Boat Insurance at Lake Tohopekaliga in Kissimmee, Fla.
Introduced this season to the Bassmaster Elite Series, the Berkley Heavyweight Award is presented to the angler who catches the heaviest total weight of bass over the course of the season from the first two days of all 11 Elite Series events.
VanDam's final Berkley Heavyweight tally was 381 pounds, 7 ounces, besting the 366 pounds, 5 ounces posted by runner-up Skeet Reese of Auburn,
"It's been a really exciting season and it's been fun," said VanDam, 39. "This is a nice bonus to get at the end of the year, and I appreciate it."
VanDam, a two-time Bassmaster Classic champion, has won more than $2.5 million in prize money during his BASS career, more than any other angler in the history of BASS.
Finishing third in the Berkley Heavyweight standings was Terry Scroggins of San Mateo, Fla., with 348 pounds, 2 ounces. Full standings can be found below.
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BASS is the worldwide authority on bass fishing, staging more than 20,000 events through the BASS Federation Nation annually. Guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans, BASS sets the standard for credibility, professionalism, sportsmanship and conservation, as it has for nearly 40 years.
BASS stages and sanctions bass fishing tournaments for every skill level culminating with the Bassmaster Classic. Through its clubs, youth programs, aquatic resource advocacy, magazine publishing and multimedia platforms, BASS offers the industry's widest array of services and support to its nearly 530,000 members. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.
Berkley Heavyweight Standings
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Place Name Lbs-Ozs
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1 Kevin VanDam 381-07
2 Skeet Reese 366-05
3 Terry Scroggins 348-02
4 Aaron Martens 346-08
5 Derek Remitz 340-02
6 Fred Roumbanis 336-07
7 Cliff Pace 335-04
8 Jared Lintner 334-12
9 Steve Kennedy 334-05
10 Gary Klein 334-00
11 Brent Chapman 331-03
12 Tommy Biffle 331-00
13 Ishama Monroe 330-13
14 Stephen Browning 327-11
15 Timmy Horton 326-11
16 Scott Rook 325-05
17 Boyd Duckett 324-00
18 Chris Lane 322-13
19 Alton Jones 322-13
20 Jeff Kriet 322-00
21 Michael Iaconelli 320-06
22 John Murray 320-01
23 Kevin Wirth 319-13
24 Peter Thliveros 318-02
25 Todd Faircloth 318-00
26 Kelly Jordon 317-13
27 Edwin Evers 316-15
28 Mike McClelland 313-02
29 Casey Ashley 312-02
30 Mark Tyler 310-15
31 Jason Quinn 310-07
32 Scott Campbell 310-02
33 Dean Rojas 309-09
34 Mike Wurm 306-04
35 Matthew Sphar 304-14
36 Gerald Swindle 303-07
37 Mark Menendez 303-05
38 Greg Hackney 302-05
39 Takahiro Omori 302-00
40 Randy Howell 302-00
41 Kotaro Kiriyama 300-15
42 Kevin Short 300-13
43 Davy Hite 300-06
44 Matt Reed 300-00
45 Dave Wolak 299-13
46 Jeff Reynolds 299-12
47 Rick Morris 299-09
48 John Crews 299-09
49 Ray Sedgwick 297-04
50 Bill Lowen 294-09
51 Jason Williamson 294-01
52 Brian Snowden 293-08
53 Bernie Schultz 293-05
54 Russ Lane 293-02
55 Ben Matsubu 292-11
56 Pete Ponds 291-15
57 Bradley Hallman 291-12
58 Marty Robinson 291-00
59 Britt Myers 290-11
60 Mark Tucker 290-02
61 Yusuke Miyazaki 289-13
62 Denny Brauer 288-05
63 Ken Cook 286-09
64 Jeff Connella 286-03
65 Rick Clunn 285-09
66 Shaw Grigsby, Jr 285-06
67 Paul Elias 284-08
68 Kurt Dove 283-12
69 Greg Gutierrez 280-15
70 Kenyon Hill 280-00
71 Jami Fralick 278-12
72 Jimmy Mize 273-05
73 Morizo Shimizu 273-04
74 Charlie Hartley 268-03
75 James Niggemeyer 267-12
76 Bryan Hudgins 267-10
77 Grant Goldbeck 267-02
78 Jim Murray 266-08
79 Paul Hirosky 264-12
80 Jeremy Starks 261-06
81 Kevin Langill 260-14
82 James Charlesworth 260-13
83 Lee Bailey 260-12
84 Ken Brodeur 260-00
85 Marty Stone 255-05
86 Glenn Delong 254-10
87 Terry Butcher 251-01
88 Bill Smith 251-01
89 Zell Rowland 250-12
90 Jon Bondy 249-08
91 Mark Rogers 249-02
92 Guy Eaker 248-06
93 James Kennedy 247-09
94 Preston Clark 246-07
95 Matt Amedeo 245-03
96 Steve Daniel 245-02
97 Darrin Schwenkbeck 245-02
98 Frank Scalish 245-01
99 Keith Phillips 240-12
100 Dave Smith 238-06
101 Doc Merkin 235-09
102 Eric Nethery 225-14
103 Bradley Stringer 225-05
104 Rick Ash 215-11
105 Jimmy Mason 207-06
106 Charlie Youngers 204-12
107 Byron Velvick 203-05
108 Elton Luce Jr 180-04
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