ATHLETICS
Destination: National Championship Shooting Sports Club completes remarkable turnaround “Being part of the first recruiting class was not something that I thought was a big deal until I arrived at Simpson and realized how much we had to prove as new athletes,” said Molly Sheehan, one of the student-athletes on the roster when Martin took over. “The support from Simpson was very nice to get upfront and made us feel welcome to be a member of campus athletics.”
Over the course of three seasons, the Simpson College shooting sports club evolved from a program in rebuilding mode to a program celebrating a national title. The Storm and head coach Dan Martin won a national championship in the international skeet competition at the 2021 Scholastic Clay Target Program National Championships. Along with the gold in international skeet, Simpson finished second in bunker/ international trap, third in American trap and fourth in American skeet and sporting clays.
Sheehan became a key part in the team’s success. The Marblehead, Massachusetts native won the individual national championship in international skeet at the 2021 SCTP National Championships and added two second-place honors. “It felt amazing to win nationals,” she said. “Everything came together on the last day of competition and I did what I knew I had to do, and came out on top. It especially felt good to end my nationals career with a win in
the discipline that I've been training in for the last 10 years.” The growth of shooting sports on Simpson’s campus is mirrored throughout the nation. Since 2018, nearly 30 high schools and six four-year colleges in Iowa have added the sport. Due to the increased popularity, Martin has crossed over the Iowa border in recruiting. His current roster showcases student-athletes from Arizona, Massachusetts, Texas and Wisconsin. But no matter where they’re from, Martin looks beyond a prospect’s skills. Above all else, he wants a student-athlete who fits the program. “My focus has been on the person,” Martin said. “I search to see what they bring to the table and how they can help us continue to grow as people and as a team.”
The road to the top began at the start of the 2018-19 season when Martin was hired as head coach. “I was hired to take the team to the next level,” Martin said. “We knew we had to focus on the journey and the little things to arrive at our destination.” At the start of Martin’s tenure, he had two student-athletes remaining from the previous year’s squad. Martin knew he had to rely on them to rebuild the program.
Molly Sheehan won the individual national championship in international skeet at the 2021 SCTP National Championships.
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S I M P S O N : T H E M AG A Z I N E