WPU Opens Shooting Era in Nebraska
Lincoln, Neb.–The William Penn shotgun sports era began over the weekend and right out of the gate the squads showed they are for real with a strong showing at the Midland Ice Out.
Team members battled windy conditions on Day 1 in the Doubles Skeet and Super Sporting competitions. Bryon Baca (Jr., Colorado Springs, Colo.) led the team by finishing 45-for-50, while Christopher Berkshire-Lewis (So., Kansas City, Mo., Business Management) was right behind him at 44-for-50. Maclane Heinen (Fr., Pella, Iowa) was solid as well at 43-for-50, while Gideon Boender (Fr., Oskaloosa, Iowa) (38-for-50) and Breale McFarland (Fr., Rio Rancho, N.M.) (36-for-50) rounded out WPU’s top five scorers.
In Super Sporting, Berkshire-Lewis took the top spot for the Statesmen at 45-for-50, while Baca and Heinen each hit 44 of 50 targets. Boender (40-for-50) and Hunter Shives (Fr., Knoxville, Iowa) (39-for-50) completed the top five.
William Penn faced a much longer day on Saturday, firing a combined 200 shots with 100 for Sporting Clays and 100 more for American Skeet. Heinen paced the crew in Sporting Clays with a score of 90-for-100, while Berkshire-Lewis was at 83-for-100 and Baca was 82-for-100. Boender (79-for-100) and Shives (73-for-100) were in the top five as well.
The American Skeet competition (again 100 targets) was the site of the first-ever gold for the Statesmen as Berkshire-Lewis missed just twice for a top score of 98. Heinen was in the mix as well at 95, while Baca (93) and Boender (92) were more than competent. McFarland guided the women’s squad by going 78-for-100.
Sunday’s American Trap event featured 100 more shots amid more blustery conditions. Heinen and Berkshire-Lewis were both excellent at 96-for-100, while Baca was next at 92-for-100. Jarrett DeKoning (Jr., Grinnell, Iowa) was in the 90s as well at 90-for-100, while the duo of Madison Hutchings (Fr., Herriman, Utah) and Quinton Casteel (Jr., Moravia, Iowa) tied at 89-for-100.
Overall, Heinen guided the navy and gold with a top-10 score of 368-for-400. Berkshire-Lewis was also in the top 10 (over 150 competitors) at 366-for-400.
Baca was close behind his teammates at 356-for-400, while Boender (326-for-400) and McFarland (304-for-400) concluded the team’s top five.
“I am super proud of how all of our student-athletes handled themselves and worked together this past weekend!” Head Coach Steve Heaton said. “I am beyond excited to see the growth in Kali Smith (So., Brooklyn, Iowa), someone who has never shot four out of five disciplines that we competed in over the weekend, and Quinton Casteel, who has never even shot in competition until this weekend. I am also extremely proud on how our team handled all of the proper protocols for social distancing and proper times to wear their masks.”
“We still have some work to do, but I think we all can see what a truly talented team that we have and what our future is going to be like,” Heaton added. “I know we ALL learned something over this past weekend and cannot wait for practice this week to start fine tuning everything.”
Next Up: William Penn travels to Indianola Saturday to compete in the Grand View Invitational.
