Shotgun team defends title at Mid-Atlantic Cup, sets sights on nationals
2/21/2023 1:23:54 PM | Shotgun
Liberty University’s shotgun team won its first competition of the spring semester on Feb. 4 at the Mid-Atlantic Cup Sporting Clay Tournament hosted by Shane’s Sporting Goods in Summerfield, N.C.
By outshooting teams from Virginia Tech, Montreat (N.C.) College, East Carolina University, and a non-sanctioned club team from North Carolina, the Flames and Lady Flames defended their title in the combined sporting clays and super sporting clays tournament.
The event had a different format this year with shooters taking aim at 100 sporting clay targets and 100 super sporting clay targets and the top five scorers’ totals from each team combined to create the high overall team score.
“They were all traditional sporting clay targets, from medium to advanced complexity, on a good target course set up by Shane’s Sporting Clays to help us all prepare for our journey to nationals,” Liberty Head Coach Roger Johnson said.
Liberty won with 866 total points out of a possible 1,000, followed by Virginia Tech (848) and Montreat College (812), with ECU finishing fourth.
The team’s top two shooters, senior captain Will Stewart and junior Zack Reaves, posted exactly the same scores and sophomores Matt Daniels and Dawson Krossman and senior Ethan Goodman were also in the top five to factor into the Flames’ high overall totals.
“We are excited to have stronger female shooters this year, with freshmen Lillian Cooper and Kendyl Truax, who placed just outside of the top five, joining (senior captain) Victoria Hendrix,” Johnson said.
They are among 10 team members in contention for the final five spots to make the 10-shooter travel squad that will compete in the ACUI Collegiate Clay Target Championships set for March 20-25 at the National Shooting Complex in San Antonio, where the Flames and Lady Flames will again be in a Division III field of around 40 schools.
With its sporting clay course on Long Mountain adjacent to the Liberty Mountain Gun Club range shut down last summer due to safety concerns for the surrounding area, Liberty has had to travel to area sporting clay courses to practice for that discipline, which accounts for one-third of the competitive events at nationals.
“We have been at the Liberty Mountain Gun Club twice per week to practice skeet, trap, and 5-stand shooting, but have also spent several days per month off campus,” Johnson said. “We have been very blessed with the support of Brushy Mountain Gun Club in Rustburg — where our assistant coach, Jacob Davis (’21), serves on the board — to make their facility available to us to help us maintain our competitive edge (in sporting clays), which is absolutely essential to the team’s success and growth and winning at that level.”
This Saturday, the team will practice at a national-level setup at Flying Rabbit Sporting Clays in Harrisonburg.
“We are trying to stay as well-rounded as we can,” Johnson said, noting that extends to their social and spiritual lives outside of shooting sports. “We are developing quality individuals with natural ability to help take the team to the next level. It is not just about shooting, but also showing good character and being good witnesses (for God) and representing Him in all that we do.
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
