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For some anglers, the September 10-12 Academy Sports + Outdoors Women's Bassmaster Tour event on Old Hickory Lake out of Hendersonville, Tennessee, will close the door on the 2009 season. For others, Old Hickory will open up new opportunities. For at least one pro, the gate to glory will swing wide open.

Here's how it all plays out: Points anglers earn at Old Hickory will count toward determination of the top 20 pros and top 20 co-anglers of the season. Those anglers will qualify for the October 16-18 Academy Sports + Outdoors WBT Championship on the Red River out of Shreveport-Bossier City, Louisiana - the same venue where fan attendance records were shattered at the Bassmaster Classic last February.

Pros and co-anglers will compete in separate divisions, and a season champion in each will be determined. But in the pro division, there's an extra twist, and it's a big one: One pro will earn enough points to become the 2009 Toyota Tundra Women's Bassmaster Tour Angler of the Year. The award rolls into one package the circuit's most coveted prizes: the AOY title and trophy, a new Toyota Tundra, and a berth in the 2010 Bassmaster Classic.

When that pro is named 2009 AOY, she will become the second woman in history to qualify for a Classic. Kim Bain-Moore of Alabaster, Ala., became the first when she won the 2008 AOY race, then competed in the 2009 Classic.

This season, Pam Martin-Wells of Bainbridge, Ga., leads the points race going into Old Hickory. Just nine points behind her is Juanita Robinson of Highlands, Texas. Other close contenders for the title include Georgia pro Laura Gober, Tammy Richardson of Arkansas, Texan Janet Parker, and the 2007 AOY, Sheri Glasgow of Muskogee, Okla. The full points standings can be found below.

"To me that's the highlight, the AOY award that leads to the Classic," said Glasgow, the 2007 AOY, the year before the Classic qualification was added to the women's tour. "The Classic is as high as we can go. Just one of us can be Angler of the Year, so it's not easy. We're all fighting for it. The Classic spot is a dream come true for the circuit, no matter who wins it.

"I don't know if I can pull that rabbit out of the hat. I might be too far down on the totem pole. But, as always, I'll go in with the attitude of trying to win the (Old Hickory) tournament, do the best I can, then see how everybody else did."

Besides vying for points, the pros at Old Hickory will compete for a first-place prize of $1,000 plus a boat rig worth $55,000. Co-anglers will be fishing to take home $500 cash and a boat-and-motor rig valued at $25,000.

The Tennessee WBT event marks the seventh time BASS has come to the Cumberland River impoundment for a pro-level competition. The WBT was there in June 2008, when Dianna Clark of Bumpus Mills, Tenn., took home the WBT trophy after bagging 36 pounds, 5 ounces, over three days.

Old Hickory snakes for 100 river miles across northern Tennessee. In places it fishes like a lake, in others like a river, said Clark, who does not consider Hickory to be her home lake - that honor falls to Kentucky and Barkley lakes farther south.

"You've got a lake portion and a river portion, like many impoundments," the defending champion said. "Hickory is the same, where one end of the fishery can be different than the other. In a nutshell, it fishes more like a river. And it's unreliable - you can't count on fish being where they were the day before.

"There's a lot of little fish, and kickers are few and far between," she added. "I'm not going to take the lake for granted, it's not that consistent. The lake's had a lot of rain this year, and colder conditions in spring and through summer."

Clark is a three-time WBT event champion and winner of the WBT's inaugural AOY title, in 2006. She is eighth in the 2009 points race heading into Old Hickory.

Fans can watch the WBT's fourth competition of the season unfold at www.Bassmaster.com. The site will present streaming video and real-time leaderboards of the Thursday-Saturday weigh-ins beginning at 2:45 p.m. CT. Daily photo galleries, reports and standings will also be available.

The public is invited to watch the launch at Sanders Ferry Park, 100 Sanders Ferry Road in Hendersonville, Thursday-Saturday at 6:15 a.m. CT.

The action shifts to Madison, Tenn., for the weigh-ins at Academy Sports & Outdoors, 2350 Gallatin Pike N. Weigh-ins are scheduled to begin at 2:45 p.m. CT.

Sept. 9, that Academy store will host a Meet and Greet, an opportunity for fans to chat with the pros and get their autographs.

All WBT events are free and open to the public.

The local sponsor is Sumner County Convention and Visitors Bureau (www.sumnercvb.com).

Sponsors of the Women's Bassmaster Tour

Title Sponsor: Academy Sports + Outdoors. Official Sponsors: Toyota Trucks, Berkley, BOOYAH Baits, Mercury, OPTIMA Batteries, Skeeter Boats and Yamaha Marine. Supporting Sponsors: Ramada, Triton Boats, LaserLure and Legend Boats.

About BASS: For more than 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and its expansive tournament structure while championing efforts to connect directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.

As the flagship offering of ESPN Outdoors, the Bassmaster brand and its considerable multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications BassmasterMagazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer; comprehensive Web properties in Bassmaster.com, BASSInsider.com, ESPNOutdoors.com and ESPN360.com; and ESPN2 television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.

BASS oversees the prestigious Bassmaster tournament trail, which includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens, Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Women's Tour, BASS Federation Nation and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.

BASS offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members while spearheading progressive, positive change on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.

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Media Contact: Doug Grassian, 407-566-2216; doug.grassian@espn.com

2009 TOYOTA TUNDRA WBT ANGLER OF THE YEAR STANDINGS- PRO

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Place Name St Pts

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1 Pam Martin-Wells Ga. 850

2 Juanita Robinson Texas 841

3 Laura Gober Ga. 807

4 Tammy Richardson Ark. 785

5 Janet Parker Texas 784

6 Sheri Glasgow Okla. 782

7 Debra Petrowski Texas 776

8 Dianna Clark Tenn. 755

9 Paula Alexander Ga. 739

10 Lisa Johnson Ala. 732

11 Melinda Mize Ark. 728

12 Judy Wong La. 726

13 Lucy Mize Ark. 716

14 Lori Masters Tenn. 700

15 Patti Campbell Texas 692

16 Lynda Gessner Mo. 667

16 Mary Croft Va. 667

16 Jennifer Nevans Tenn. 667

19 Cindy Hill Tenn. 657

20 Teri Neal Ga. 653

21 Christiana Bradley Va. 646

22 Sandi Karnes Texas 633

23 Cheryl LaLumandier Mo. 627

24 Meta Burrell Texas 622

25 Marsha Gipson Ark. 621

26 Mary DiVincenti La. 615

27 Robinette Fox Ark. 612

28 Debbie Kemp Texas 611

29 Kali Weatherford Texas 607

30 Robin Babb Texas 606

31 Jan Heavener Ark. 605

31 Heather Broom N.C. 605

31 Tami Kashiwabara Ark. 605

34 Kathy Womack Ala. 603

34 Keri Schieber Ga. 603

36 Secret York Ky. 602

37 Linda Redford Mo. 597

38 Christena Baugh Ark. 587

38 Laura Heflin Kan. 587

40 Helen Gordon Texas 583

41 Kris McClendon Texas 575

42 Danalee Lofton Ark. 569

43 Debra Hengst Texas 559

44 Lila Bass Texas 551

45 Kathi Hurst Miss. 543

46 Susan Gregory Miss. 539

47 Bridget Allen Pa. 537

48 Michelle Armstrong N.C. 529

49 Lisa Craig Texas 519

50 Jo Dee Lake Ala. 513

51 Kim Stapp Ga. 495

52 BJ Carson Okla. 479

53 Emily Shaffer Tenn. 478

54 Pam Bolton Ark. 470

55 Kim Bain-Moore Ala. 464

56 Karen Savik Minn. 455

56 Lisa Sternard Tenn. 455

58 Robbie Hartline Mo. 451

59 Audrey McQueen Ariz. 410

60 Cheryl Bowden Texas 400

61 Kat Ealey Ala. 384

62 Terri Elkins Texas 342

63 Mary Hencken N.C. 320

64 Cindy Van Horn Texas 314

65 Rhonda Pope Ga. 285

66 Karen Elkins Ala. 227

67 Gina Jones Ala. 217

68 Penny Berryman Ark. 213

69 Linda Sands Ala. 195

70 Diane Phillips Texas 193

71 Kathy DiMartino Ala. 191

72 Betty Stahl Ala. 185

73 Barbara Wetzel Ala. 169

74 Kelley Shepherd Ariz. 163

74 Deb Doyal La. 163

76 Caprice Cherry La. 159

77 Sherri Dodson Ala. 155

78 Kimberlee Striker Ala. 151

79 Pat White Texas 149

80 Patsy McDaniel Ala. 137

81 Kim Hicks Ga. 127

82 Judy VanCanneyt Ala. 125

83 Ann SWinks Ga. 119

84 Kathy Freehling Fla. 115

85 Sharon Teague S.C. 0<br />
POINTS STANDINGS- CO-ANGLER

Co-angler<br />
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Place Name St Pts<br />
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1 Terri Bittner Calif. 870<br />
2 Martha Goodfellow S.C. 817<br />
3 Donna Newberry Ark. 816<br />
4 Debbie Pegoli Ohio 802<br />
5 Gail Wood Ark. 761<br />
6 Kim Martin Ind. 757<br />
7 Teri Cindric Tenn. 741<br />
8 Charlotte Frazier Texas 722<br />
9 Linda Owens Miss. 720<br />
10 Colleen McKay Mass. 712<br />
11 Sherry Melton Tenn. 701<br />
12 Vicki Henderson Ark. 694<br />
13 Bonnie Ward Wash. 688<br />
14 Bertha Cavakis Ark. 672<br />
15 Renee Gumbrecht N.J. 665<br />
16 Donna Rutledge Ill. 659<br />
17 Linda Berry N.C. 658<br />
18 Kala Wright Okla. 654<br />
19 Diane Smith Ga. 650<br />
20 Barbara Gaskins Va. 645<br />
21 Lisa Diehl Pa. 644<br />
22 Cheryl Buelow La. 642<br />
23 Linda Walker Ark. 635<br />
24 Denese Freeman Okla. 633<br />
25 Kat Arnold La. 629<br />
26 Kim Petrowski Texas 619<br />
27 Trish Levitt N.M. 610<br />
27 Karol Whitehurst Texas 610<br />
29 Melissa Bond N.M. 609<br />
30 Katie Hogan Tenn. 608<br />
31 Elizabeth Sanders Miss. 605<br />
32 Susan Dameron Tenn. 587<br />
33 Katie Ellis Miss. 579<br />
33 Barbara Ferge Tenn. 579<br />
35 Kim Mendoza Texas 575<br />
36 Nancy Oliver La. 573<br />
37 Susan Wild Fla. 565<br />
38 Jane Brunner Miss. 563<br />
38 Patty Houston Ala. 563<br />
40 Dawn Dudek Ill. 551<br />
41 Stacy Zhelesnik N.J. 546<br />
42 Patti James Texas 543<br />
43 Pam Chism Ark. 539<br />
44 Jill Matheis Ind. 525<br />
45 Michele Gunderman N.C. 480<br />
46 Monica Altman N.C. 471<br />
47 Lesli Lively Texas 470<br />
48 Lori Steele Okla. 461<br />
49 Kelly Wells Ga. 460<br />
50 Lesley Childers S.C. 412<br />
51 Sabrina Thompson Texas 410<br />
52 Sarah Davis La. 384<br />
53 Torrye Vineyard Texas 382<br />
54 Sharon Lawson Tenn. 361<br />
55 Neva Brown Texas 356<br />
56 Christine Martin Colo. 348<br />
57 Debra Cook Ala. 338<br />
58 Petra Ramsey Texas 330<br />
59 Nancy Dugas Ala. 320<br />
60 Jennifer Rice Ala. 316<br />
61 Nancy Stumpe Fla. 276<br />
62 Linda Higginbotham Fla. 272<br />
62 Brande Branine Kan. 272<br />
64 Jodi Galloway Texas 257<br />
65 Vicki Hester Ala. 251<br />
66 Cynthia Tayloe Texas 231<br />
67 Bunny Hicks Ga. 227<br />
68 Cheryl Sprayberry Fla. 221<br />
69 Brandi Frasier Ky. 211<br />
70 Miriam Donohoo Fla. 209<br />
71 Laura Bean Ala. 201<br />
71 Judy Pate La. 201<br />
73 Jada Tidmore Ala. 199<br />
74 Inez Zeagler La. 195<br />
75 Cynthia Bryan La. 191<br />
76 Jennifer Blackwood Ga. 181<br />
76 De Lynn Montez Calif. 181<br />
76 Sharron Stone Texas 181<br />
79 Juanita Blasingame Tenn. 179<br />
79 Denice Johnston Texas 179<br />
81 LaShea Raynor S.C. 175<br />
82 Leslie Anderson Mo. 169<br />
83 Linda Rinker Fla. 167<br />
83 Tracy Bailey Texas 167<br />
85 Shelley Chenowith Ark. 161<br />
86 Renee Key Johnston Texas 157<br />
87 Lisa Skelley Tenn. 153<br />
88 Virginia Buckner Ala. 133<br />
89 Marilyn Biszmaier Ky. 131<br />
90 Cassie Hall Ala. 129<br />
91 Sugar Walker Ala. 125<br />
92 Mona Crawford Fla. 123<br />
93 Kimberly White Ill. 117<br />
94 Gerry Threadgill Texas 0<br />
94 Leanne Snowden Mich. 0<br />
94 Caprice Cherry La. 0

Media Contact<br />
Doug Grassian, 407-566-2216; doug.grassian@espn.com