Full NCSSAA Results | Concordia Results (PDF)
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The dust has settled on a week spent in Las Vegas at the 2023 NCSSAA National Championships. A group of 22 Bulldogs represented the Concordia University Shooting Sports program, which placed third overall as a team (in the Division IV breakdown) in competition that featured trap, skeet and sporting clays. Individually, graduate student Wyatt Hambly rose to the top of the field as the high overall Division IV national champion while also triumphing in sporting clays. In addition, Bulldog Claire Kee took home a national championship in women’s doubles skeet and Sam Blevins won the men’s skeet crown.
As part of a new format for national championships sponsored by the NCSSAA, the action took place March 14-18 at Clark County Shooting Complex in Vegas. Head Coach Dylan Owens’ top five overall shooters combined to crack 1,405 targets towards the HOA leaderboard. That total tied Midland for second place. However, the Warriors were credited with second after winning a shoot off.
“The team did absolutely phenomenal,” Owens said. “Everyone put in a lot of hard work and we had a lot of athletes shoot some of the best scores they’ve ever shot. We saw people conquer some things they’ve been struggling with individually. Based on the scores, we expect to have multiple All-Americans. It’s just been a fantastic week. We had some rougher weather earlier in the week and our team fought through it. Our parents were wonderful with the support and the love they gave us. The competition was stiff. We knew it was going to be us, Midland and William Penn, and it was a nail-biter until the last day.”
Eleven NAIA institutions competed in the Division IV national championship competition in Vegas. It became a three-team race for the national title as the Bulldogs competed with familiar rivals William Penn University (Iowa) and Midland University. Ultimately, William Penn took the team national title with an overall total of 1,423. The third-place finish for the Bulldogs marked the highest ever for the program at a national championship event. Concordia placed in the top three of each of the six disciplines contested in Vegas, taking second place in Doubles American Trap (472), Super Sporting (417), American Trap (496) and Sporting Clays (444). The Bulldogs tied William Penn with 496 targets busted in American Trap (William Penn won the shoot off) and finished just one target off Midland for the top spot in Super Sporting.
A native of Paso Robles, Calif., Hambly held off former teammate Colten Uitermarkt (288) and William Penn’s Matthew Brindley (288) for first place in the HOA individual standings. Hambly totaled a 290/300 while shooting a perfect 100 in trap, 95 in skeet and 95 in sporting clays. Based on HOA totals, the rest of Concordia’s top five at the national championships were Tanner Muff (285), Jack Nelson (278), Sam Blevins (277) and Breyer Meeks (275). While Hambly was perfect in trap, Blevins also ran 100 straight in skeet in his national title effort. Blevins still had to outduel William Penn’s Dominick Ver Meer in a shoot off for first place.
On the women’s side, Kee led the way for the Bulldogs with her total of 270. The native of Gibbon, Neb., shot 93 in doubles skeet in her championship winning performance that saw her get the upper hand in a shoot off with William Penn’s KayLynn Sieber. Meanwhile, Katie Welker and Angie Wolfert placed second and third, respectively, in women’s trap doubles. Welker and Wolfert both shot HOA totals of 259. In women’s skeet, Abby Keppelin placed second (98) and Claire Kee (97) took third.
The team’s 496 in trap was one target off the school record of 497 set this past fall at the Midland Warrior Open. As mentioned, Hambly shot a 100 in trap. He was followed by five teammates who turned in 99s: Blevins, Meeks, Muff, Mason Ward and Welker. Said Owens of Hambly, “He worked really hard this year. He started off the week in the doubles events a little lower than he wanted. He ran a 95 in sporting, super solid, and hit 100 in trap to really solidify himself in the HOA.”
Emotions were high for the Bulldogs, who have been coping with the loss of teammate Steven “Drew” Schmidt, who passed away on March 4. Said Owens, “A lot of the coaches from other teams were completely blown away with how we performed under the circumstances. We felt a lot of love from other teams and coaches throughout the week. It makes being part of this sport really, really great. We had some times where there were some emotional spots, just because it was tough. Everyone wanted to do well for Drew and for each other.”
This was the first national championship event for the program since Owens became head coach in April 2022. Previously, the program competed at national championship events put on by the ACUI in San Antonio, Texas. At the 2022 ACUI National Championships, Concordia placed fifth out of 17 teams in the Division 2 breakdown. In terms of high overall performances, 2022 conference champion Wyatt Hambly (565) paced Concordia on the men’s side while Sarah Schwacher (540) led the way for the women.
While the national championships are in the books for 2023, the Bulldogs still have one event remaining on their schedule this season. They will host the Concordia Bulldog International Tournament in Grand Island, Neb., April 1-2.
National Championships Individual Award Winners
HOA Male
Wyatt Hambly (290)
Women’s Doubles Skeet Champion
Claire Kee (93)
Men’s Skeet Champion
Sam Blevins (100)
Men’s Sporting Clays Champion
Wyatt Hambly (95)
Women’s Skeet Place Finishers
2. Abby Keppelin (98)
3. Claire Kee (97)
Women’s Trap Doubles Place Finishers
2. Katie Welker (90)
3. Angie Wolfert (89)
Men’s Trap – third place
Wyatt Hambly (100); tied for first and lost shoot off