Statesmen Return to Winning Ways in Home Event
Oskaloosa–Back on its home turf, the Statesmen shotgun sports team rolled to another title as it won the William Penn Invitational last Friday through Sunday.
WPU finished first out of five teams with a score of 1,455-for-1,500. Simpson was second at 1,385-for-1,500. The title is the program’s third this fall and comes a week after having its regular-season winning streak snapped at 10.
The navy and gold claimed the perfect sweep over the weekend, winning all of the disciplines for both individuals and team, while also walking off with the High Overall Athlete awards for the male and female standings.
The Sporting Clays victory came with a score of 465-for-500 with Cade Bowie (Jr., Benton, Ark., Business Management) and Connor Gittings (Sr., Kansas City, Mo., Biology) tying for first at 95-for-100.
Tanner Muff (Jr., Lincoln, Neb., Public Accounting) was next at 94-for-100, while Hunter Block (Grad., Eldridge, Iowa, Master’s of Organizational Leadership) connected on 91 of his 100 targets. The duo of Mathew Brindley (Sr., Earlham, Iowa, Industrial Technology) and Trenton Giese (Fr., Muskego, Wis., Mechanical Engineering) finished at 90-for-100 to score for William Penn as well.
Cole Henning (So., Wilton, Iowa, Industrial Technology) posted a perfect 100-for-100 to headline a big winning score in Skeet at 495-for-500. The sophomore tied for first in the standings.
The trio of Bowie, Emily Uitermarkt (Sr., Otley, Iowa, Elementary Education), and Brandon Nord (Jr., Hidden Valley Lake, Calif., New Media) followed one shot back at 99-for-100, while Muff, Dryden DeKoning (Sr., Newton, Iowa, Business Management), and Wyatt Kresser (So., Independence, Iowa, Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management) were also another target behind at 98-for-100.
The Statesmen picked up gold in Trap as well with another impressive score of 495-for-500, paced by a perfect 100-for-100 by DeKoning. He was the only shooter to hit all of the targets.
Henning, Muff, and Brianna Thompson (Jr., Campbellsport, Wis., Psychology) were high on the list as well at 99-for-100, while Hunter Block (Grad., Eldridge, Iowa, Master’s of Organizational Leadership) and Kade Dunkin (Sr., Hamilton, Iowa, Biology) also figured into the team scoring at 98-for-100.
Overall, Bowie and Muff shared the HOA title at 291-for-300, while Block and Henning tied for fourth at 286-for-300. William Penn earned seven of the top 10 spots in the standings.
On the women’s side, Emily Sjoberg (Fr., Citrus Heights, Calif., Undecided) won the HOA crown at 279-for-300, while Angie Wolfert (Jr., Waterford, Wis., Nursing) collected runner-up honors at 275-for-300.
Holly Boeke (Sr., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Biology) placed fourth among the female shooters (268-for-300), while the threesome of Uitermarkt, Nikolle Kussatz (So., Leighton, Iowa, Biology), and Morgan Hodge (So., West Liberty, Iowa, Nursing) all tied for fifth at 265-for-300.
“I am proud of how the team performed this weekend,” Head Coach Colten Uitermarkt said. “Each week I am seeing everyone getting more diligent about working on their plans. The determination of this team is unmatched. All of our athletes are putting in the work which is the most exciting thing to see.”
Next Up: William Penn heads to Waukee Saturday and Sunday to compete in the Grand View Invitational.
