OUTDOORS
Rojas sinks hooks into Bassmaster lead
Elite Series pro Dean Rojas of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., wowed the crowd on a cold Friday afternoon at Bon Secours Wellness Arena with a five-bass limit that weighed 21 pounds, 2 ounces to take the first-round lead at the Bassmaster Classic on Lake Hartwell near Greenville, S.C.
Rojas brought in his big stringer despite frigid temperatures in the neighborhood of 10 degrees just before takeoff at Green Pond Landing in Anderson, S.C. Rojas also overcame a 28-minute penalty for being late for check-in at Wednesday’s practice period.
“This is our biggest stage that we perform on, and to be able to catch a big bag like that on the first day is amazing,” Rojas said. “How could you script it any better than that? Obviously, I’d rather finish it that way. But, hey, I’ll take it.”
Rojas leads Bassmaster Elite Series pros Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., (20-2); Keith Combs of Huntington, Texas, (18-8); and Brett Hite of Phoenix, Ariz., (15-7).
Mike McClelland of Bella Vista brought in the best stringer among the five Arkansans competing in the tournament. McClelland caught five fish weighing 12-02 is is 16th. Mark Davis (five fish, 9-06 ) of Mount Ida is 23rd, Kevin Short (five fish, 8-04) of Mayflower is 29th, Scott Rook (three fish, 4-13) of Little Rock is 41st and Stephen Browning (one fish, 2-13) of Hot Springs is 48th.
Friday’s takeoff was delayed until 8:30 a.m. because of concerns about ice on the new concrete ramp at Green Pond, but even then anglers had trouble launching. The fiberglass boats were actually frozen to the trailers, and it took some extra effort from the boat drivers to get them into the water.
Many anglers continued to experience trouble throughout the day with ice forming in the spools of their reels and in the guides of their rods. Some rubbed Vaseline on their guides to help with icing, while others dipped their rods in the lake frequently or even used saliva to prevent ice from forming.
Conditions are expected to improve slightly today with a high of 48 degrees. Takeoff is scheduled for 7 a.m.
GYMNASTICS
Arkansas falls at Kentucky
Despite winning four event titles Friday night, Arkansas lost 195.850-194.825 to Kentucky at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Ky.
Junior Heather Elswick and sophomore Samantha Nelson tied for the floor exercise title at 9.850. Sophomore Amanda Wellick won the vault at 9.925 and the all-around title at 39.375. Paige Zaziski won the uneven bars at 9.850.
Wellick also had a season-best score of 9.850 on the balance beam, 9.80 on the bars and floor exercise, and a 9.850 on the beam.
Arkansas had a team score of 49.150 on the vault as Zaziski had a 9.850 and Leah MacMoyle had a 9.825. The Razorbacks also scored 49.000 on the floor exercise with Sydnie Dillard posting a 9.80.
Others topping 9.800 were Stephanie Canizaro on the bars and Dillard on the beam at 9.875.
Bassmaster Classic
at Lake Hartwell, Greenville, S.C.
PL. FISHERMAN, HOMETOWN ..........WT.
Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu, Ariz..........21-2
Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif. ...............20-2
Keith Combs, Huntington, Texas .......18-8
Brett Hite, Phoenix, Ariz.....................15-7
Randy Howell, Springville, Ala. .........15-5
Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C. ..............15-3
Takahiro Omori, Emory, Texas ..........15-0
Greg Hackney, Gonzles, La. .............14-15
Michael Iaconelli, Pitts Grove, N.J. ...14-7
Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas ..........14-6
ARKANSANS
Mike McClelland, Bella Vista ...........12-2
Mark Davis, Mount Ida ...................... 9-6
Kevin Short, Mayflower ..................... 8-4
Scott Rook, Little Rock ....................4-13
Stephen Browning, Hot Springs .....2-13