Statesmen Remain Perfect in State Competitions, Win by Over 150 Shots
Waukee–The William Penn shotgun sports team rolled to another state crown, winning the NCSSAA Iowa State Shoot last Saturday and Sunday.
WPU was first out of seven teams with a final score of 1,566-for-1,750. Upper Iowa was a distant second at 1,411-for-1,750, while Simpson (1,388) and Grand View (1,376) rounded out the top half.
The state title is third in as many chances for the navy and gold, who are in their third year of competition. It is also the program’s sixth win of the fall (fourth in a row) out of eight total meets; the other two finishes were a second and a third.
William Penn did not let the rain, wind, and cold affect its scoring on Saturday, beginning with a title in American Trap. The Statesmen posted a score of 483-for-500 with Hunter Block (Jr., Eldridge, Iowa, Business Management), Mathew Brindley (So., Earlham, Iowa, Industrial Technology), and Russell Malterud (Grad., North Branch, Minn., Master’s of Organizational Leadership) topping the squad at 98-for-100.
Noah Seelye (So., Pella, Iowa, Mechanical Engineering) was next at 96-for-100, while Raylee Bishop (So., Ankeny, Iowa, Engineering) rounded out the scoring at 95-for-100.
Block placed first among all competitors, while Malterud, Seelye, and Bishop went second, fourth, and fifth, respectively. Bishop headlined the female field with KayLynn Sieber (So., Marshall, Minn., Biology) collecting runner-up honors at 94-for-100.
The Sporting Clays discipline proved to be quite difficult, but WPU was up for the challenge, again winning the team award at 406-for-500. Colten Uitermarkt (Grad., Otley, Iowa, Master’s of Organizational Leadership) won the individual gold at 87-for-100, while Dominick Ver Meer (Jr., Pella, Iowa) was second overall at 82-for-100. Brindley, who also hit 82 targets, was third, while Malterud’s 81-for-100 was good for fourth.
Sieber connected 74 times to conclude William Penn’s scoring, while also earning the female victory. Bishop was in the runner-up spot, while Holly Boeke (So., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Biology) took third (73-for-100) and Madison Van Diest (Fr., Anaheim, Calif., Sociology) ended up fourth (72-for-100).
Sunday began with the Statesmen walking off with the trophy in American Skeet at 483-for-500. Block was first overall at 98-for-100, while Bryon Baca (Sr., Colorado Springs, Colo.) claimed silver at 97-for-100. Uitermarkt also finished 97-for-100 for third, while Ver Meer and Cade Bowie (Fr., Benton, Ark., Business Management) (both at 96-for-100) wrapped up the team’s scoring.
Boeke’s 96-for-100 paced the female shooters, while Sieber was second at 93-for-100. Caytlin Pendleton (So., West Jordan, Utah, Communications) (92-for-100), Van Diest (92-for-100), and Bishop (90-for-100) rounded out the ladies’ overall top five.
The weekend of perfection concluded with William Penn going 222-for-250 in Super Sporting. Brindley, Malterud, and Uitermarkt were all 45-for-50 with Brindley getting the win. Baca was in the mix at 44-for-50, while Ver Meer’s 43-for-50 put him fifth.
Sieber was second on the female side at 37-for-50 and Bishop was fifth (35-for-50).
Uitermarkt earned the High Overall Athlete award at 317-for-350; WPU had the top four scorers in the HOA standings. Sieber was the female HOA champion at 298-for-350, while Bishop, Boeke, and Van Diest were also in the top five.
“This was such dominating way to end a great fall season!” Head Coach Steve Heaton said. “Even with the weather conditions on Saturday, the team still buckled down and gave it everything they had, just like they have all season. This team is really starting to bond and push each other; case in point, just look at all the individual medals and how close the scores were.”
“One of the best things I saw all weekend was the athletes high-fiving, knuckle-bumping, and smiling with the other teams, not just their own teammates,” Heaton added. “The respect among all athletes involved was unreal from all colleges involved! This sport is truly amazing.”
