Lief Andersen at Hillsdale College shotgun’s media day at the Bierman Center
Courtesy | The Hillsdale Athletic Department
Five Hillsdale shotgun athletes finished on the podium at the Michigan College Shoot at the John Halter Shooting Sports Center Oct. 25, placing first overall for both men and women with a score of 1429 out of 1500.
The Chargers competed in the Trap, Skeet, and Sporting Clays divisions against six teams from Michigan and Indiana, nearly sweeping all three events.
Senior team captain Leif Andersen took first overall in the men’s division with a combined score of 287/300, with freshman Zach Hinze and senior Davis Hay taking second and third respectively. Junior team captain Madeline Corbin took first in the women’s division with a combined score of 282/300, while sophomore Taylor Dale took second.
Each competitor shot at 100 targets in each of the three events, earning a score equal to the total number of targets hit in all three events. The total team score is a combination of the top five scores in each event.
Hinze won men’s Trap after shooting 100/100 targets, while Hay and Corbin both shot 99/100, with Hay taking second and Corbin placing first in the women’s category.
In Skeet, senior Kyle Fleck and Hinze tied for first with a score of 99/100, with Hay and freshman Max Versluys tying for second, and Corbin again taking first in the women’s division after all shooting 98/100.
Andersen took first in Sporting Clays with a score of 92/100. Junior Luke Johnson, Hay, and Dale tied for third.
“This was a good showing for us overall,” head coach Jordan Hintz said. “Just in depth. We had a lot of good scores across the board from the team.”
According to Andersen, the team competed while running the event at the same time.
“Three hundred targets a day is pretty taxing, right?” Andersen said. “But then we’re also trying to run the shoot, whether that be loading machines, scoring, or helping out Jordan where we can.”
Corbin said that shooting well while running the meet demonstrated the team’s resilience.
“It just goes to show how capable we are to shoot when you have three other things you’re doing while competing and still put up a good sport,” Corbin said. “I think it’s a great confidence booster.”
According to Hintz, the goal of the shoot was to bring attention to shotgun teams from colleges in the region.
“The goal of the shoot at the beginning was to highlight the shooting teams and spotlight them for their schools,” Hintz said.
According to Andersen, the shoot measures the team’s progress.
“We use it as a way to measure our progress through the year,” Andersen said. “You can compare, well, ‘how did I start the beginning of the semester? How did I end?’”
According to Hintz, the shoot showed real improvement for the team.
“We’re definitely moving in the right direction,” Hintz said. “Our performances have improved time and time again.”
Hintz added that the shoot gave the team momentum going into the next semester of competition.
“At this shoot we were down two of our teammates, meaning there’s still opportunity for more improved scores,” Hintz said. “Next semester we should be at full strength the whole time. We’ll keep working hard and really see what we can do.”
The shotgun team’s next competition is the USA Shooting Selection Matches in Tucson, Arizona, Nov. 17-22, where members of the team will contend for a spot on team USA.
