Shotgun Sports | 4/11/2023 10:45:00 AM
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — The McPherson College Shotgun Sports team won three individual national championship titles from the annual ACUI Collegiate Clay Target Championships held at the National Shooting Complex near San Antonio, Texas. The athletes competed in the singles American trap category.
Emma Speer won women's class B with 95 of 100 targets, and
Ethan Huston won men's class C with 96 targets.
Lindzie Archer won women's class C with 93 targets and a tie-breaking shoot-off, 22-16, out of 25 targets.
Established in 1968, ACUI Clay Targets is the oldest collegiate shotgun sports association nationwide. This year's Collegiate Clay Target Championships were held March 18-23.
As the largest collegiate shotgun sports national championship, comprised of over 750 student-athletes from 74 colleges, teams from all collegiate athletic divisions compete against each other.
"A part of what makes shotgun sports competition special is that we're competing against D1 schools to junior colleges and everyone in between," said Head Coach
Tony Helfrich. "That's unique for an athletic team from an NAIA school. It's pretty cool to see that long list of athletes from all over the nation with McPherson College at the top."
The team started in the fall of 2020 as the first collegiate shotgun sports team in Kansas to offer varsity-level athletic scholarships for the sport. It began its inaugural year of competition with the 2021-2022 school year. The team's first success was three first-place finishes in the fall of 2021 from the USA College Clay Target League, a virtual league where teams shoot at their facilities, and then coaches upload scores online. Now at the end of its second year of competition, the team has set itself up for a bright future.
"Three years ago, when the administration gave me the green light to start the team, our top goal was to bring a national championship back to McPherson College," said Helfrich. "And here we are with three individual national championships, so we can be proud and celebrate for a moment, but we're just getting started. Many of the other teams are very well established, and while we could be considered the new kid in town, we have our sights set high, and we're hungry. Next up are team and high-overall championships. Expect much more success from us for years to come."
And while competition success is essential, Helfrich is quick to emphasize the importance of continually supporting a positive culture of service, teamwork, leadership, fun, and camaraderie on and off the field.
"The McPherson College Shotgun Team has allowed me to build relationships, dust some clays, laugh until my stomach hurts, never give up, and create lifelong memories with an amazing group that I call my friends," said Archer, a sophomore on the team. "I'm extremely grateful for everything Coach Tony has done to get our team to the successful bunch we are now, and I have learned from him that having fun is always necessary and anything is possible when you are a Bulldog!"
"Progressing our team to this point has required much time, effort, and passion," said Helfrich. "However, none of it would be possible without the support from our college president Michael Schneider, administration, my supervisor Shana Warkentine, Christi Hopkins and our admissions department, faculty and staff, and generous donors. Plus, my assistant coach Pete Brubaker, whose coaching style compliments mine perfectly and has been there with me since day one, helping to bring out the best in our student-athletes."
Coach Helfrich recruits year-round, and scholarships are available for student-athletes. For more information on the team, please visit macbulldogs.com or reach out to coach Helfrich directly at
helfrict@mcpherson.edu
