GRAND ISLAND, Neb. – Things are beginning to click for a Concordia University shooting sports program heavy on freshmen and sophomores. While competing in a field of 15 colleges who factored into the high over all standings, the Bulldogs placed third by hitting 1,571 targets at the Association of College Unions International (ACUI) Upper Midwest Conference Championships over the weekend (Nov. 3-4). Individually, standout Concordia senior Erin Lokke finished high over all on the women’s side out of 33 shooters.
The showing at Heartland Public Shooting Park in Grand Island, Neb., was a positive one for head coach Scott Moniot’s program. Individuals from 23 different institutions were on hand for the event. The Bulldogs broke team school records for both American skeet (482) and American trap (475).
“This was a huge step up for our program,” Moniot said. “We brought the kind of scores that shows where the future of the program is going. Obviously trying to knock off Fort Hays State and Midland is going to be a ways out. Our freshmen as a group shot unbelievable, but there’s a healthy balance. Everyone is pushing each other. At the end of the day, it’s the number that you shoot and it doesn’t matter if you’re male, female, a freshman or a senior.”
Lokke (Saint Francis, Minn.) claimed the top spot by hitting 94 in American skeet, 91 in American trap, 79 in sporting clays and 46 in super skeet for a total of 310. Lokke was actually the only Bulldog on the women’s side to shoot each of the aforementioned events. Several others were entered into select competitions.
In women’s American skeet, Concordia had 10 of the top 23 competitors. The top five Bulldogs in the event were freshman Nicole Breese (95; 3rd), Lokke (94; 5th), sophomore Emma Van Donselaar (91; 9th) and juniors Kate Esser (90; 11th) and Sabra Moore (89; 13th). In women’s American trap, Concordia held down five of the top 20 spots thanks to the work of junior Monica Dale (96; 2nd), Breese (94; 7th), freshman Sarah Schwacher (92; 11th), Lokke (91; 15th) and Van Donselaar (20th).
On the men’s side, the rookies also shined. The Bulldogs’ top three high over all were all freshmen: Wyatt Hambly (318), Colten Uitermarkt (306) and Sam Philson (306). The top five was rounded out by sophomore Mackenze Origer (305) and senior Mitchell Charron (290). Broken down by event, the top Concordia men in American skeet were Origer (98; 6th), Hambly (97; 8th), freshman Damien Stewart (96; 13th), Charron (96; 18th) and Uitermarkt (95; 26th). In American trap, top 30 finishers included freshmen Thomas Sosso (96; 14th), Hambly (95; 15th), Bryon Baca (94; 27th) and Uitermarkt (94; 28th).
The ACUI Midwest Championships marked the team’s sixth and final shoot this fall. The schedule after New Year’s will be lighter, but it also includes the most significant event – the ACUI National Championships.
“This was the indication that I thought would eventually come,” Moniot said of last week’s results. “I didn’t know exactly when it would happen. When you bring in as many freshmen and transfers as we did, it changes the dynamics for everybody. There was quite a transition period for everybody. It took a little while for us to find our groove. About three weeks I challenged them to give me a reason to take them to the national championships. This weekend they all came ready with their ‘A’ game.”
The next event on the schedule is the ACUI Super Shoot (Jan. 23-27). It will be contested in Tucson, Ariz.