10/02/23

By: FHSU Foundation  

HAYS, Kan. – To kick off Homecoming weekend, Fort Hays State University community members, alumni, and friends gathered for a Friday morning ribbon cutting at the Hays City Sportsmen’s Club to celebrate the newly completed Wilmer and Lorena Kellogg Training Center, Home of the FHSU Shotgun Team.

The facility would not have been possible without a generous lead gift from Lorena Kellogg and her late husband, Wilmer. Other individuals and businesses followed suit and contributed to bring the project to fruition.

Two members of the FHSU Shotgun Team shared their excitement for the facility at the ribbon-cutting event: Michaela Baalmann, a freshman from Schulte, Kansas, majoring in medical diagnostic imaging, and Austin Smith, a sophomore from Weatherford, Oklahoma, an agricultural business major.

“Team members before us have set an example and built a foundation that has earned national respect. We all put in the work to maintain the high expectations of those around us. Overall, this building will be a game changer for the future of this team, and I want to thank everyone who had a part in it.” Smith said.

The Kellogg Training Center will provide additional resources to build upon the team’s past accomplishments. Not only will the team’s new head coach, Jerrod Lies, an FHSU Shotgun Team alum and former assistant coach, have an on-site office to provide mentorship to those currently on the team, but he can also meet and recruit future members in the new space. In addition, its new reloading room and equipment will allow multiple members at a time to efficiently reload shells.

Unlike previous winters when team members shoveled several feet of snow to practice for upcoming competitions, the new indoor shooting simulations allow students to implement current technology to practice and improve their abilities year-round. Additionally, students living on campus have a place to store their shotguns and ammunition in the training center’s on-site storage.

“I want to thank the Kelloggs for their support over the years and for making this facility possible with their generous gift. It has been a fantastic experience continuing my shooting career at FHSU,” said Baalmann.

“Every year, this talented group of students excel in their sport. We are so proud of the team and its members who represent the best of the best at Fort Hays State University,” said former Head Coach Dr. Duane Shepherd.

For information about the Kellogg Training Center or the FHSU Shotgun Team, please contact the Fort Hays State University Foundation at 785-628-5620 or head coach Jerrod Lies at 785-628-4566 or jglies@fhsu.edu. If you’d like to support the FHSU Shotgun Team, make your gift online today at foundation.fhsu.edu/donate and list “Shotgun Team” as your area of designation.