Junior Ava Downs posing during Media Day
Courtesy| Hillsdale College Athletic Department
Three members of the Hillsdale shotgun team qualified for the Open and Junior Women’s National Teams after competing in the USA Shooting Selection Matches in Tucson, Arizona, Nov. 17-22.
Sophomore Taylor Dale and junior Ava Downs qualified for both the Open and Junior divisions in International Trap. Junior Madeline Corbin qualified for both divisions in International Skeet.
Eleven members of the shotgun team competed in the shoot, with seven making the finals for the top six spots in each event and category. Athletes in the top six of the junior or open categories have a shot at competing internationally in their event.
Shooters who are 21 years old or younger can contend in the junior category, while competitors of any age compete in the open category. Dale, Downs, and Corbin placed in the top six of their respective open categories, qualifying for the Open Women’s National Team. Corbin won the junior category in Skeet, while Downs and Dale took first and second in the junior category of Trap.
“They’ll all have opportunities to represent the United States in World Cups and World Championships next year,” head coach Jordan Hintz said. “The people who are on those Open teams are the ones who are being selected to go to the Olympics.”
Hintz said Dale, Downs, and Corbin’s qualification for the national team and Olympic hopes are the fruit of multiple achievements.
“It’s a rolling process,” Hintz said. “You don’t qualify for the Olympics until basically immediately before it. The selection matches in combination with the national championship are what USA shooting uses to select their teams to represent the U.S.”
Senior Davis Hay, junior Luke Johnson, and freshman Zach Hinze all qualified for finals for International Skeet. Sophomore Marin McKinney qualified for finals in International Trap.
According to Hintz, the team’s achievements continue to build a legacy.
“It was a very successful match,” Hintz said. “Continuing to have Hillsdale athletes representing the U.S. across the world is super important for us and for what we do.”
According to Dale, who has qualified for the Junior National Team before, qualifying for the Open National Team was a move towards a larger goal.
“It’s not the final step, but it’s definitely the next step,” Dale said. “I’d love to go to the Olympics one day.”
Corbin said a change in mindset allowed her to shoot her best after a difficult start.
“The first day of competition wasn’t horrible for me, but it wasn’t great,” Corbin said. “I had to reset my brain to not think about the outcome. But then I really flipped a switch and came back. I shot a 122 out of the second 125, which is a personal best for me.”
Dale said the competition started with momentum that lasted.
“I shot a perfect 25 out of 25 on the first round,” Dale said. “I was happy with my performance every day.”
According to Dale, winning with Corbin and Downs was a familiar exercise.
“We’re all from Wisconsin, and I had been friends with Ava and Madeline for at least four years before coming to Hillsdale,” Dale said. “It’s awesome to have grown up shooting with them, shooting against them, and then for us to hit these milestones together.”
Dale, Corbin, and Downs will compete in the Junior World Cup in Egypt March 27 through April 2 in spring 2026.
