The Hillsdale shotgun team opened its spring season by beating Ferris State University, Grace College, and Michigan State University at the Hillsdale College Shotgun Invitational Feb. 22.

The top five Chargers in each event shot a total of 1,061 targets between singles trap, doubles trap, doubles skeet, and 5-stand events, beating out second place Grace College by 142 targets. Hillsdale won trap doubles by 61 targets, trap singles by 17, skeet by 40, and 5-stand by 23 total targets, beating second place overall Grace College in each category.

Senior Josh Corbin took first place overall, hitting 216 total targets. Corbin won the trap doubles event outright, hitting 97/100 targets, and took second place overall in both 5-stand and skeet. 

“This shoot is always our first spring event,” senior Gavin Drill said. “It’s important for us to get comfortable with competition again and it helps us identify what we need to work on for our upcoming shoots.”

Senior Jonathan Calabrese and junior Jordan Sapp tied for second place overall, each hitting 210 total targets. Calabrese took second in both singles and doubles trap, hitting 94/100 targets in doubles and 49/50 in singles.

“The competition at this shoot is a good starting point, but I’m very much looking forward to the competition we will face this weekend,” Calabrese said. “It will be a great test for us to face some of the best teams in the country and get fully prepared for nationals in March.”

Sapp took first place in 5-stand with a perfect 25/25 score, with Corbin and Calabrese taking second and third, respectively. Senior Leif Andersen took first overall in singles trap with a perfect 50/50. The Charger men took first, second, and third place in every event except for singles trap, where two Grace College shooters tied for third overall.

Also competing for the Chargers on the men’s side were sophomores Alex Hoffman and Luke Johnson, as well as junior Davis Hay and senior Kyle Fleck. Hay finished in first in doubles skeet, hitting 49/50 total targets, and finished in fourth overall between all four events with 205 total. 

“It was a pretty good showing this weekend,” Hay said. “We won just about every event. Personally, I could have done better but it gave me some things I can improve on going into regionals.”

The Chargers also took the top three positions for the women overall, with senior Jessica Strasser taking first with 200 total targets shot, while sophomores Madeline Corbin and Ava Downs took second and third, respectively. 

Strasser and freshman Marin McKinney tied for first overall among the women in singles trap, each hitting 49/50 targets, while freshman Taylor Dale finished right behind them with a score of 48/50, which was good for third place. 

The Chargers will begin their first road trip of 2025 this weekend, heading to Sparta, Illinois, for the ACUI/SCTP Program Spring Central Midwest Conference Championship, running from Feb. 28-March 2. Hillsdale will then head to the ACUI/SCTP National Championship in San Antonio, Texas from March 15-23, where the Chargers will look to repeat as national champions.