The Hillsdale College Shotgun Team blasted the competition at the annual Chargers Classic National Sporting Clays Association shoot.
The competition on Aug. 24 hosted 39 competitors, including all 18 members of the Hillsdale team. Hillsdale won 43 awards across all three shooting categories: sporting, super sporting, and 5-stand. The John Halter Shooting Education Center hosted the event.
“It was a good way to start the fall,” said head shotgun coach Jordan Hintz. “We will have many more opportunities to compete in the sporting disciplines over the course of the year and the experience is invaluable, especially to our newer team members.”
Senior Josh Corbin won the highest overall award in sporting clays after breaking 97 out of 100 targets. He also took first place junior and second place in the master class in the super sporting event.
“Overall, I was pleased with how I performed,” Corbin said. “I was able to implement some things I’d been working on in practice, and it seemed to work well.”
Corbin said he is looking forward to the season as he enters his fourth year with the team.
“Our team has a lot of potential this year, and we’re the largest we’ve ever been,” he said. “We have a full and exciting schedule for both semesters where we will see some good competition.”
Sophomore Madeline Corbin (A, 90) won first place in the lady class.
“I’ve been working on some new techniques for my sporting clays approach and felt I could use what I learned over the summer to shoot a pretty decent score,” she said. “I am definitely looking forward to this year’s season and team — everyone seems to have great attitudes about improving themselves and having another winning season.”
In sporting clays, additional awards included junior Jordan Sapp winning third highest overall and tying for second place junior class and senior Gavin Drill (B, 92), freshman Nathaniel Meloro (C, 93), and junior Sophia Bultema (E, 79) winning their respective classes. Meloro also tied for second place in the junior class.
In super sporting, freshman Taylor Dale (B, 35) took first place B class, second place lady, and third place junior. Meloro (C, 38) won second place junior and tied for second in C class. Freshman Lucci Kern (D, 30) won third place lady and second place in D class.
In 5-stand, junior Leif Anderson (A, 46) won first place junior and A class. Senior Kyle Fleck (B, 43) and Bultema (E, 39) won their respective classes as well.
The team’s second competition was the USA Shooting National Championship held from Sept. 12 through 22, also held at the John Halter Center. As the season continues, Josh Corbin said the team is preparing to defend their Division II championship title in March.
“Expectations are high because performances last year were high,” Hintz said. “We are bigger and more talented than ever.”