National Junior Olympic Skeet and Trap Championships Hosted at Hillsdale College
USA Shooting brought young shooters from across the country to the John A. Halter Shooting Sports Education Center
Hillsdale, Mich. — From June 29 to July 7, Hillsdale College hosted the USA National Junior Olympic (JO) Skeet and Trap Championships at its John Anthony Halter Shooting Sports Education Center, home of the USA Shooting National Team. Youth shooters, below the age of 21 and having qualified at an approved USA Shooting event, traveled to Hillsdale College to compete against their peers. Many of these participants will be returning Sept. 6-19 for the National Championship.
“This younger generation of shooters is an incredibly talented bunch,” said Jordan Hintz, head shotgun coach at Hillsdale College. “It is exciting to have a world-class facility like the Halter Center to be able to provide this opportunity for the youth to compete.”
Home also to Hillsdale’s collegiate shooting teams, the Halter Center is also a resource for the public through memberships, a tri-county high school trap program, camps, conferences, and many other competitions ranging from Olympic archery to the Michigan Junior Olympics.
The JO Championship results for the open division were as follows:
Skeet Champions for junior open women:
- Gold: Fayth Layne, Tennessee – 107 Final 53
- Silver: Jessi Griffin, Georgia – 110 Final 51
- Bronze: Julia Nelson, Minnesota – 100 Final 43
Skeet Champions for junior open men:
- Gold: Benjamin Keller, Colorado – 123 Final 57 + 4
- Silver: Elijah Ellis, Texas – 120 Final 57 + 3
- Bronze: Jordan Sapp, Arizona – 116
Trap Champions for junior open women:
- Gold: Carey Garrison, Tennessee – 108 Final 38
- Silver: Ryann Phillips, Texas – 114 Final 36
- Bronze: Kaleigh Castillo, California – 103 Final 30
Trap Champions for junior open men:
- Gold: Jack Brosseau, Florida – 112 Final 44
- Silver: Matthew Kutz, Texas – 113 Final 41
- Bronze: Emanuel Butdorf, Ohio – 113 Final 31
Eight junior shooters were also selected from the match to join the JO squad, which was created to reward up-and-coming athletes that show a potential for the future. Membership on the squad opens up the opportunity for limited funding such as a team vest, an invite to team camp, and support in the form of match ammunition at the National Championships. Squad selections were separate from the medalists and based on qualification scores. New JO squad members include:
- Eden Samson, Alaska
- Julia Nelson, Minnesota
- Hayden Clarke, Texas
- David Garza, Texas
- Aiko Bianca Coloso, Florida
- Kaleigh Castillo, California
- William Browning, Ohio
- Sam Blevins, Kentucky
Hillsdale College has been the home of the USA Shooting National Team since 2019. Earlier this month, the John Anthony Halter Shooting Sports Education Center hosted the USA Shooting Junior Olympic Trap and Skeet development camps. The Center boasts 113 range acres, four international skeet fields, a 22-station sporting clays course, five international bunkers, a small arms range, international archery range, American trap ranges, and AcuSport lodge.
Find photos from the event here and here. For more information about the event, email Sharee Waldron or Bart Spieth.
About the John Anthony Halter Shooting Sports Education Center
The Halter Center is a state-of-the-art shooting facility located five miles from the Hillsdale College campus. Opened in 2008, the Center aims to introduce individuals to shooting sports and encourage interest across all levels of experience. The Halter Center also serves an educational purpose by promoting the principles of the Constitution and teaching beginner and experienced shooters in various classes. Home to Hillsdale College’s collegiate shooting teams, the Halter Center is also a resource for the public through camps, conferences, and other programming. For more information, visit shootingsports.hillsdale.edu.