The Hillsdale Action Shooting Team travelled to Ohio for the Steel Challenge. Courtesy | Hillsdale College Athletic Department

The Hillsdale action shooting team placed in multiple categories at the Ohio Steel Challenge Sept. 16.

The annual state match, located at the Cardinal Center in Marengo, Ohio, is one of the largest events of the team’s season. It is considered a level two match, meaning coaches cannot speak to their shooters during runs. The match attracts athletes from across the Midwest to compete.

“Overall, the Ohio Steel Classic is a very important match,” junior Taylor Chen said. “It is a measure of our raw ability as shooters to compete on a big stage and perform under pressure. All 11 of the team members and our assistant coach Doc Sweeney were all in the same squad, which meant that we got to watch each other shoot and give constructive criticism or encouragement to the shooter after they were done.”

After a day of driving to Columbus, the team left its hotel at 6 a.m. to make its way to the event venue.

“Since shooting is a huge mental game, the travel and early morning are not generally great components to incredible performance,” Chen said. “But, no excuses. We have trained in all kinds of situations and are prepared to perform when the time comes.”

There were eight predetermined stages at the Ohio Steel Classic. The teams are able to practice the patterns beforehand, with one stage being a particular challenge, known as the Pendulum.

“As it happened, the stage that we were assigned to start on in the morning was this stage,” Chen said. “For many it was a rough start, but Zechariah Steiger, senior member and army veteran, shot it clean and deliberately.”

Steiger ultimately won ninth place in the centerfire pistol division, while senior Adam Bentley placed tenth. Sophomore Joseph Grohs, junior William Hudson, junior Sandy Vietor, and senior Dean Ballantyne placed between 12th and 22nd.

“I am very proud of how Steiger, Bentley, and Hudson shot the match,” Chen said. “After a slow start since joining the team, seeing Hudson improve immensely during practice and then moving up to fourth on the team this match is amazing.”

Freshman member Kayla Mullin said the team has been supportive as a beginner competitor.

“This is a much more competitive setting,” Mullin said. “The big thing is that I’m getting way more guidance and coaching than I ever have in high school, not only from my coach but from all of the other teammates. As one of the newest shooters, upperclassmen will come over and say, ‘Hey, I noticed this was a little bit off to draw, try to fix this,’ and things like that.”

Chen said he has seen the newest members grow over the past two months.

“Our newest team members proved that they could hit the targets and be accurate,” Chen said. “From a coaching perspective, accuracy is immensely more important than speed. Speed comes with time, practice, and confidence, and as we move forward with the season, the time, practice, and confidence required will come along. Shooting eight stages for a total of almost 40 runs is a long match, and our new members showed perseverance and tenacity at this competition.”

Before coming to Hillsdale, Mullin said she only competed in a few tournaments her senior year. She ended up joining the Hillsdale action pistol team after head coach Adam Burlew noticed her potential while she sighted in her personal pistol at the college range.

“I knew there was an actual team, but I was like, ‘There’s no way I am going to make it on a shooting team at the collegiate level,’” Mullin said. “I happened to be down at the range the day before moving day because I had just put a new trigger on my personal gun and the coach happened to be down there. I came to tryouts, it wasn’t really on purpose, but I’m really glad that I did.”

Chen said the team will focus on both stationary and dynamic shooting as the season progresses. Practice involves drawing from holsters, prepping the trigger, and rapidly transitioning between targets.

“While we can never recreate a true competitive atmosphere in practice, we are going to continue our training with competition in mind,” Chen said. “With the sport being a mental game, it is important for us to mess with each other during practice to force individuals on the team to block out distraction. While only being given a certain amount of ammo per practice, it is critical that every single bullet that comes out of the gun matters.”

The Chargers will compete at home in the Hillsdale College U.S. Practical Shooting Association Invitational Oct. 14 as they continue to prepare for collegiate competitions this spring.