2012
W
Intercollegiate Clay Target Championships
ith an overall team score of 2263 out of 2350, Lindenwood University captured its ninth consecutive High Overall Aggregate at the 44th annual Association of College Unions International (ACUI) Clay Target Championships, held at the National Shooting Complex in San Antonio, Texas. Lindenwood teams were unmatched in the four events whose aggregates determine overall championship, placing first in International Skeet, International Trap, American Skeet and American Trap. The Lions also took first place in Sporting Clays, one of the two additional events that took place during the championships and finished second, by one point, in Five Stand, narrowly missing the sweep. The past four wins have come under the under the tutelage of Shawn Dulohery who took over as head coach of the Lindenwood Shotgun Sports Program in 2008. Lindenwood beat out rival Bethel University, a newcomer whose first appearance was in 2010, by 85 points. Despite this being their third year in the championships, Bethel has quickly established themselves as one of the top schools in competition. Texas A&M University trailed the Lions and Wildcats, coming in third place with a 2151. The Clay Target Championships, in addition to team competition, features men’s and women’s individual championships – both of which were won by Lindenwood.
By Kyle Jillson
Lions shooters dominated each day’s team competition and you could be sure to find at least one shooter sporting the gold and black uniform in every finals, shoot-off and usually among those who placed. Out of a potential 550, Lindenwood’s Sarah Hughes shot her way to the Women’s HOA with a flat 500, 22 points higher than second place’s Ashleigh Hafley of Bethel University. The men’s title came down to two Lindenwood shooters as Casey Van Sant’s 518 edged out Sarah’s brother, Matt Hughes, by just two points. Among the Division II schools, Southeastern Illinois College captured the team title after its shooters collectively posted a score of 2159. Their title run was no easy task as Fort Hays State University came in second by just nine points, shooting a 2150. The University of Missouri rounded out the top three with a 2076. In Division III, Hillsdale College’s 1402 took the team championship as Clemson University and Jacksonville University shot 1398 and 1263 respectively for second and third. ACUI’s Clay Target Championships have seen significant growth the past few years which continued in 2012. With the addition of seven new teams this year, the championships sported 59 schools representing 32 states. From these teams, a 22% increase in attendance over 2011 brought the number of shooters in San Antonio from 439 to 537. Congratulations to all of this year’s winners and many thanks to all the shooters who came out. These championships are growing into something huge and it’s all because of you.
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