Junior Josh Corbin placed highest overall for individual score. Courtesy | Hillsdale College Athletic Department

The Hillsdale College shotgun team won first place in multiple events during its first collegiate match of the season on Oct. 1 at the Hoosier Invitational.

The Kosko Shotgun Sports Complex hosted nearly 70 competitors from seven other colleges, including Purdue University, Olivet University, Indiana Wesleyan University, Grace University, the University of Illinois, Concordia University, and Ferris State University. Only seven Hillsdale athletes decided to attend after a long day of volunteering on Saturday at the Klix Memorial Shoot, a fundraiser at the Halter Shooting Sports Center.

“It’s our first real intercollegiate match of the season,” head coach Jordan Hintz said. “These are teams that we’re shooting against all the time. It’s really good that those who went came with the attitude that this is a warm up for this coming week. This is the first time that we’ve competed in anything except sporting clays this fall, and they certainly exceeded my expectations.”

The Chargers squad for sporting clays broke 457 out of 500 targets, placing first above Grace College. The team included junior Josh Corbin (96/100), sophomore Leif Andersen (94/100), senior Ida Brown (92/100), sophomore Davis Hay, and senior Jessica Strasser. Josh Corbin placed highest overall for individual score.

“I was super excited for my first actual collegiate shoot,” Madeline Corbin said. “I am very glad that we were able to go to this invitational so that I could break the ice on a smaller shoot, because otherwise my first collegiate shoot would be the regionals that we are headed to this week in Ohio.”

Brown, Josh Corbin, Hay, Andersen, and Strasser teamed up again to also place first in American Skeet, with a score of 488/500. Hay shot a perfect 100-straight, while teammate Madeline Corbin took second.

“There’s a lot of reasons to be confident,” Hintz said. “Some of these guys, they’ve not shot skeet yet this semester, so to be able to go down there and have two 100 straights and a 99, it’s hard to complain.”

Hillsdale finished the meet with a first place score of 205 in the modified bunker event. Brown shot 46/50 clays, earning her the title of highest overall lady competitor.

“I think shooting sports are kind of unique because it doesn’t really matter how physically mature you are,” Andersen said. “We’re not afraid to offer advice to older or younger people. Even last year as a freshman, if you saw something, you could even offer some advice to a senior on the team.”

The Chargers left Tuesday, Oct. 3 for collegiate Nationals and the Upper Midwest Conference Championships, located at the Cardinal Center in Marengo, Ohio. Both tournaments will end on Oct. 8.