Lief Andersen at Hillsdale College shotgun’s media day at the Bierman Center
Courtesy | Hillsdale College Athletic Department
Hillsdale’s shooting sports crowded the podium across the country, with the action shooting team competing in the United States Practical Shooting Association Georgia State Championship Oct.18 and the shotgun team competing at the National Sporting Clays Championship in Texas Oct. 19-21.
The action shooting team placed six athletes in the top 10 competing in the Limited and Limited Optic divisions Oct. 18, in Fleming, Georgia.
Freshman William Grohs took first in the Limited division, followed by junior and team captain Kayla Mullin in second, followed by juniors Clara Bozzay and Jianna Coppola and freshman Joseph Beecher in fourth through sixth place.
In the Limited Optic division, junior and team captain John Beecher took 10th place, followed by head coach Adam Burlew, and seniors Joseph Grohs and Jonah Kirstein in 20-22nd place.
“We were much happier with the way we shot than in the last match,” John Beecher said. “I was really happy to end on a good note.”
According to Mullin, there was a high level of competition at the match, which emphasized speed more than previous matches.
“It was definitely a high level match,” Mullin said. “The stages were designed really well, and they were a little bit different because they were a lot shorter, and the targets were a lot of times closer and easier, which meant that your speed mattered more.”
Mullin, who’s recently battled wrist injuries, said the match gave her the opportunity to regain confidence.
“I haven’t been able to practice for like a month because of my arms,” Mullin said. “I was able to unlock a new level of being able to move quickly and shoot at the same time. That was super exciting.”
John Beecher said that the match was a good way to end the fall season and build momentum for the spring season.
“It’s great to be able to go out with a good feeling,” John Beecher said. “I’m hyped to come back strong.”
The Hillsdale shotgun team competed in the National Sporting Clays Association Championship from Sunday until Tuesday.
The team competed in two divisions of Sporting Clays events, the Beretta Shooting Sports Challenge and the Main Event, against shotgun teams and clubs from across the country.
Places for the competition are not final since the shoot doesn’t end until later this week, but the Chargers did have some standout scores according to senior team captain Leif Andersen.
Senior Davis Hay shot 79/100 in Super Sporting in AA class, while junior Alex Hoffman shot 73/100 in the B class of the same event. In the Main Event, junior Madeline Corbin shot 228/300 in A class while Hoffman shot 227/300 in B class.
In contrast to the consistent targets of Trap or Skeet, Sporting Clays events involve shooting targets coming from a wide variety of trajectories. According to Andersen, the Texas shoot is one of the largest in the Sporting Clays arena.
“The NCSA National Championship is the biggest Sporting Clays shoot in the nation, if not the world,” Andersen said. “For the Chargers, it means a chance to compete on the biggest stage in Sporting Clays.”
Corbin said the team attended the event to sharpen their skills for the Association of College Unions International and Scholastic Clay Target Program Upper Midwest Championship in March. Corbin added competing in Texas also prepares them for the spring because the courses are the same.
According to Andersen, the Chargers shot well and were grateful for the opportunity.
“The competition went well as a whole,” Andersen said. “We are incredibly fortunate to be able to travel to this shoot.”
The action shooting team will compete at another United States Practical Shooting Association match in Linden, Michigan Oct. 25, and the shotgun team will compete at the Michigan College State Shoot at home on the same day.
