Editor's note: Although they share the same last name, Justin Lee has no relation to Jordan and Matt Lee.
Last year, Jordan Lee made an improbable repeat run to the finals of the B.A.S.S. College National Championship individual competition and was set for a one-on-one Sunday showdown to take the title and earn a trip to the Bassmaster Classic.
But one man stood in his way: his older brother, Matt Lee.
The Lee brothers earned Auburn a second-place finish during the team championships, and when the tournament's top eight fishers were pitted against each other in the individual competition, the duo faced each other in the finals.
Matt took home the title and earned a trip to the Bassmaster Classic -- the Super Bowl of bass fishing -- while Jordan finished runner-up for the second consecutive year.
This August, the two seniors will have one more chance to win a college championship, with Matt looking to repeat and Jordan hoping to finally take the title.
"It's the big one," Matt said of the August tournament. "It's a big deal."
Matt has already qualified for the national championships, scheduled for August 1 on the Chatuge Reservoir in Young Harris, Ga., by earning his berth at a regional tournament in January.
Jordan missed the cut, however, and if the brothers are going to repeat last season's dramatics at the national championship, Jordan will have to earn his spot in one final qualifier tournament this weekend.
Otherwise, this weekend's tournament in Florence, Ala., will be the final tournament of his collegiate career.
"The Southern qualifier they had was in January in Florida. You had to make the top 15 percent to go to the national championship, and I didn't make it," Jordan said. "So they have this tournament. It's the 'wild card' tournament."
Jordan will be sharing a boat and fishing alongside senior fisheries major Shane Powell, who will also be looking to earn a spot in the national championship tournament.
With the tournament being held in nearby Florence, the pair will have somewhat of a home-field advantage as opposed to fishers driving hours from across the country to get their boat in the water.
"We've been fishing up there some, and it's been pretty good to us so far," Powell said. "I feel pretty confident, and I'm sure Jordan does too." Matt would be in Florence to cheer on his brother and his teammate, but instead he will be spending the weekend in Young Harris, the site of August's national championship, preparing and getting familiar with the lake before the site goes off-limits in the weeks leading up to the tournament.
As the brothers near graduation, with Jordan set to earn a marketing degree in December and Matt on pace to earn a degree in industrial engineering in May, the two look forward to having more time in the future to fish bigger tournaments and professional series.
The amount of publicity the college circuit can bring to a fisher is what has made efforts worth it in the end. Matt was recently featured on the cover of Bassmaster Magazine, while Jordan was quoted in TIME magazine. "It's been good just for the exposure," Jordan said. "College fishing has gotten so big. People love it. Without fishing for Auburn I wouldn't be anywhere close to where I need to be."
But what the two say they will miss the most about their collegiate careers is simply wearing that orange and blue jersey, fishing in a boat with "Auburn" proudly painted on its hull and representing their university.
"I probably won't think about it much until it's over," Jordan said. "I'm hoping it's not going to be over this weekend."
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