NATCHITOCHES – Cason Lewis, a Northwestern State University freshman, is this year’s recipient of the Dylan Kyle Poche Memorial Fishing Scholarship, an award presented to a member of the Northwestern State University Fishing Team. Lewis is a nursing major from Pineville who will be part of NSU’s competitive Fishing Team, a club sport that taps into the growing popularity of organized competitive bass fishing.
In conjunction with selecting the 2017 scholarship recipient, the Poche family also presented the NSU Fishing Team with a donation to support the team and their activities.
“We congratulate Cason and his family and thank the Poche family and all those who support the NSU Fishing Team,” said Erin Dupree, development program coordinator with the NSU Foundation. “With every cast at every tournament, Dylan’s teammates and friends remember him and his love of being on the water.”
The Dylan Kyle Poche Memorial Fishing Scholarship was established by Poche’s parents, Burt and Shelley Poche and Misty Ott. Poche was a 2015 graduate of Natchitoches Central High School and an avid outdoorsman. He excelled at tournament fishing and was a member of the NCHS Fishing Team and the NSU Fishing Team as a freshman at NSU. He passed away in January 2016.
The NSU Fishing Team is open to all full-time students who maintain a 2.0 or better grade point average. Juddy Hamous is the NSU Fishing Team sponsor and a friend of the Poche family. He believes the club is an opportunity for a student to get involved on a competitive level with a healthy and enjoyable lifetime sport. The waterways in and around Natchitoches make it a popular sportsman’s destination.
“NSU is a great destination for kids to get a first class education and to have a first class fishing team in the same location is just tremendous,” Hamous said. “With Dylan’s scholarship being awarded and with all the help of the surrounding businesses in the community that have helped our anglers, it just makes for the perfect storm. I personally can’t wait to see what the next five years and beyond will bring, I know it will be awesome.”
For information on establishing or supporting student scholarships at Northwestern State, contact the NSU Foundation office at (318) 357-4414 or visit northwesternstatealumni.com. To learn more about the NSU Fishing Team, visit beademon.com/fishing.
