(Editor’s note: Leading up to the inaugural National Guard FLW College Fishing National Championship, which will be held at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn., April 10-12, CollegeFishing.com will post semiweekly feature stories highlighting the 25 teams that qualified. At stake in the tournament is a prize package of $100,000 and a chance to compete in the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup.)
Class: sophomore
Major: Civil Engineering
Hometown: Hundred, W. Va.
Other interests: collecting wild sneakers
Class: sophomore
Major: Occupational Safety
Hometown: Fairmont, W. Va.
Other interests: hunting, baseball and anything outdoors
Q&A
CollegeFishing.com: How were you introduced to fishing?
Dieffenbauch: I was introduced to fishing while camping with my family and grandparents. I caught my first fish when I was a year old and it was a largemouth. My dad and I fished local ponds and as I grew older, we would take my grandpa’s old Starcraft Spitfire (16-foot bass boat) out on the Ohio River. I fished my first tournament with my dad when I was seven or eight and have been hooked 
on competitive fishing ever since.
Dodrill: I was introduced to fishing when I was about 2 years old. My dad took me and my two brothers out on our Ranger boat almost every weekend. I grew up fishing on the Tygart and Monongahela River. Every weekend my family and I would head up to an area in the Tygart River the locals call the “shallows.” The “shallows” is a place where you can stand in the water, swim, and catch a lot of fish. This is where and when my love for fishing really began.
CollegeFishing.com: What style/method of fishing are you most comfortable with?
Dieffenbauch: I can fish just about any lure, rig, or style. Over the years, I’ve had to learn many different techniques. You have to be versatile in order to catch them on a daily basis in West Virginia. If you can catch fish on the Ohio River, you can catch fish anywhere. I enjoy the tournaments that are tough. That’s when I feel I have my biggest advantage – when you can’t afford to make a mistake because you won’t get a second chance. Where I live, I’m used to fishing for only five or six bites a day and praying they all keep. It makes me mentally stronger, in what is really, a mental sport.
Dodrill: My most comfortable style of fishing would be throwing spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and jigs. For me, these baits seem to produce not quantity fish but quality fish. I like covering a lot of water and finding those bigger bites.
CollegeFishing.com: What did it feel like to qualify for the inaugural National Championship? How do you plan to prepare for the big event?
Dieffenbauch: It felt amazing to qualify. I was a nervous wreck because I thought we blew it. We were tied for the lead after day one but on day two, we didn’t catch a keeper until the last hour and I probably wouldn’t have been able to feel that fish in the waves and wind if I wasn’t using an All Pro Rod. It was awesome though. Even the qualifying tournament on the Potomac River was unreal. That was the first time Brent and I fished together and it was amazing how well we worked as a team. And 
then to win was unbelievable. At that moment, I knew, even though we’re from a small college, we could go a long way in these competitions. We plan on spending our spring break by practicing in Tennessee.
Dodrill: When I found out I had qualified for the National Championship I didn’t know what to do or say. I was speechless! I am so blessed and thankful for the opportunity and to do as well as we have. I never would have dreamed something like this would happen. It is a dream come true for me. I can’t wait to fish Fort Loudoun and I plan on practicing as much as I can when I get a break from my schoolwork. I am hoping that in March I will be able to make it down to Knoxville during a few weekends or during our spring break.
CollegeFishing.com: Tell us something interesting about yourself that most people wouldn’t know.
Dieffenbauch: I won four state casting championships as a child. As a junior, I won three state fishing championships and finished fourth at the 2006 National Guard Junior World Championship on Lake Neely Henry. At 18, I joined a fishing club with my dad and began fishing tournaments as an adult. Most recently, I am very proud to say that I created the first Fairmont State bass fishing club, “the Fishing Falcons” and I’m really glad I did.
Dodrill: Something that most people don’t know about me is that I have a hobby of tying lures. I also enjoy making hunting and fishing videos with my two brothers and friends.