William Penn Closes Out Successful Fall with Bronze at ACUI Conference Shoot

Oskaloosa--The Statesmen shotgun sports team wrapped up a tremendous fall campaign by going toe-to-toe against the best in country at the ACUI Fall Central Midwest Conference Championships last Friday through Sunday.

WPU finished third out of 27 teams with a score of 2,187-for-2,250.  Hillsdale (Mich.) took the team crown at 2,203-for-2,250, while Lindenwood (Mo.) was right behind the champion at 2,200-for-2,250.

Hillsdale is the defending ACUI Division 2 champion, while Lindenwood won last year's ACUI Division 1 title.

The navy and gold placed in the top six in all six disciplines that were contested, including winning the Super Sporting crown.

The competition began with Doubles Skeet and William Penn placed third at 243-for-250.  Connor Gittings (Sr., Kansas City, Mo., Biology), Colton Heintz-Kuderer (So., Mabel, Minn., Biology), and Trenton Giese (Fr., Muskego, Wis., Mechanical Engineering) all tied for third at 49-for-50.

Nathan Roberts (So., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Mechanical Engineering) and Lane Arrowood (Sr., Newton, Iowa, Biology) also scored for the Statesmen at 48-for-50.

WPU's lowest ranking of the tournament came in Doubles Trap, but the squad still placed sixth with a solid 242-for-250.

Cole Henning (So., Wilton, Iowa, Industrial Technology) headlined his crew at a perfect 50-for-50.  The sophomore ended up winning the shoot-off for the overall gold.

Giese was next at 49-for-50, while Hunter Block (Grad., Eldridge, Iowa, Master's of Organizational Leadership) and Tanner Muff (Jr., Lincoln, Neb., Public Accounting) both posted tallies of 48-for-50.  Addison McGehearty (Fr., Mount Pleasant, Iowa, Undecided) also accounted for the scoring at 47-for-50.

The Statesmen made up some ground with a win (via tiebreaker over Lindenwood) in Super Sporting at 243-250.

Block matched Henning with a discipline win (via a shoot-off), finishing at 49-for-50.  erts and Heintz-Kuderer joined Block at 49-for-50, while the trio of Giese, Dryden DeKoning (Sr., Newton, Iowa, Business Management), and Holly Boeke (Sr., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Biology) all ended up at 48-for-50.  Boeke's score was good enough to place second in Super Sporting among the female shooters.

William Penn, which claimed runner-up status in Skeet at 497-for-500, was headlined by DeKoning and Heintz-Kuderer both recording perfect scores of 100-for-100.  DeKoning placed third in a shoot-off.

Gittings, Muff, and Mathew Brindley (Sr., Earlham, Iowa, Industrial Technology) were on the scoreboard as well at 99-for-100.

Unfortunately, the Statesmen fell off the pace in Sporting Clays with a fourth-place finish at 469-for-500.  Giese was among the best in the field at 98-for-100, eventually placing second overall in the shoot-off.

Henning, Roberts, and Muff finished at 93-for-100, while DeKoning and Cade Bowie (Jr., Benton, Ark., Business Management) both went 92-for-100.

WPU finished the weekend with a fourth-place effort in Trap at 493-for-500.  Heintz-Kuderer, Gittings, and Giese topped the navy and gold at 99-for-100, while the quartet of Bowie, Block, Brindley, and Noah De Boef (Sr., Leighton, Iowa, Industrial Technology) all scored at 98-for-100.

Giese, who scored for William Penn in five of the six disciplines, nearly came home with the High Overall Athlete award.  The freshman placed second at 441-for-450, just one target behind the winner.

Heintz-Kuderer, at 431-for-450, tied for eighth in the men's HOA standings, while Gittings (428-for-450) and Muff (426-for-450), tied for 11th and 18th, respectively.

Emily Sjoberg (Fr., Citrus Heights, Calif., Undecided) headed WPU in the women's standings with a 10th-place effort at 413-for-450 score.  Emily Uitermarkt (Sr., Otley, Iowa, Elementary Education) was right behind her teammate in 12th at 410-for-450.

"I am proud of how the team performed this past weekend," Head Coach Colten Uitermarkt said.  "The athletes have been working diligently all semester and had the chance to prove how amazing they are at one of the largest stages in collegiate shooting sports.  This group of athletes is one of the most dedicated I have ever seen."

Next Up: William Penn is off until the spring, returning to action on February 28-March 2 at the ACUI Spring Central Midwest Conference Championships in Columbia, Mo.