11/12/18
HAYS, Kan. – Fifteen members of the Fort Hays State University Shotgun team placed highest overall team at the 2018 Scholastic Clay Target Program College National Championships, held recently in Marengo, Ohio.

There were 220 shooters representing 22 colleges from across the United States.

Teams were split into two divisions, with FHSU being placed in Division 2. FHSU participated in three events and placed first with all three teams in all three events. The top five scores from FHSU were used for team scores.

The first-place trap team was Austin Svoboda, Burwell, Neb., senior; Riley Ross, St. Paul, Neb., sophomore; Cody Escritt, Pleasanton, Neb., senior; Jake Whipple, Cambridge, Neb., senior; and Wyatt Pursell, Topeka senior, with a score of 988 out of 1,000.

The first-place skeet team was Jerrod Lies, Minneola senior; Escritt, Pursell, Svoboda and Whipple, with a score of 989 out of 1,000.

The first-place sporting clays team was Josh Crankshaw, North Platte, Neb., senior; Escritt, Ross, Svoboda and Whipple with a score of 919 out of 1,000.

Individual awards are divided between men and women. Heather Gordon, Pine Valley, Calif., junior, won highest overall woman with 554 out of 600. Svoboda won highest overall man with 588 out of 600, and Escritt was runner up with 580 out of 600.

Other individual awards include Jenny Schoenecker, Akron, Colo., senior, who placed first in sporting clays. Gordon placed second in skeet. Svoboda was first in trap, second in skeet and third in sporting clays. Whipple was third in skeet and Ross was third in trap.