Brandon Palaniuk took over the lead in the Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year (AOY) race with a 3rd-place finish at the St. Lawrence River over the weekend. If he goes on to win the points title, he'll become the first competitor in the Elite Series era (since 2006) to capture the AOY with a triple-digit finish on his ledger.
Palaniuk placed 105th in the season's second event at Lake Okeechobee. He's finished 18th or better in five of the six events since then, including a win at Sam Rayburn Reservoir.
Currently, the lowest finish by a points-title winner during his AOY season is the 85th logged by Aaron Martens at the Sabine River in 2013. No other AOY has posted a finish lower than 68th.
Here's a list of the worst placements turned in by AOYs since the inception of the Elite Series:
2016 -- Gerald Swindle -- 40th (St. Johns River)
2015 -- Aaron Martens -- 66th (Lake Guntersville)
2014 -- Greg Hackney -- 48th (Delaware River)
2013 -- Aaron Martens -- 85th (Sabine River)
2012 -- Brent Chapman -- 68th (Douglas Lake)
2011 -- Kevin VanDam -- 33rd (Toledo Bend)
2010 -- Kevin VanDam -- 59th (Clear Lake)
2009 -- Kevin VanDam -- 45th (Wheeler Lake)
2008 -- Kevin VanDam -- 56th (Lake Amistad)
2007 -- Skeet Reese -- 67th (Grand Lake)
2006 -- Mike Iaconelli -- 66th (Lake Champlain)
