Champs Again!! Statesmen Claim ACUI Division 2 Crown
San Antonio, Texas--The William Penn shotgun sports team earned arguably its biggest title in program history last week as it won the Division 2 crown at the ACUI National Championship.
WPU finished the week-long event with a score of 2,840-for-3,000, holding off Fort Hays State (Kan.) (2,836) by just four targets. Hillsdale (Mich.) (2,822) and Midland (Neb.) (2,820) were in the mix for the D2 championship as well.
There were a total of 14 teams in contention for the Division 2 HOA (High Overall) title. Division 2 squads are limited to only 11-20 athletes in the competition.
The national championship is the third for William Penn, including winning ACUI Division 4 in 2022 and taking the NCSSAA gold in 2023.
How WPU Stacked Up Against Entire Field:
For context, a total of 55 schools competed for HOA titles in four separate divisions (numerous others were in CAA--Class All-Around). Among the total HOA standings, the Statesmen placed fourth with the only teams beating them coming from the Division I ranks (teams that could bring 21 athletes or more).
Lindenwood (Mo.), with 46 shooters, finished at 2,880 (40 ahead of WPU), while Texas A&M (39 individuals) had 2,875 targets. Jacksonville (Fla.) (40 individuals) just nipped Williiam Penn by eight shots at 2,848.
Breakdown of Disciplines:
The Statesmen battled in six separate disciplines during the week, including Trap, Skeet, Doubles Trap, Doubles Skeet, Sporting Clays, and Super Sporting. William Penn finished in the top four in all six competitions, including taking the gold in Trap.
WPU won Trap with a score of 493-for-500, while Missouri Valley was second at 491.
The trio of Colton Heintz-Kuderer (So., Mabel, Minn., Biology), Dryden DeKoning (Sr., Newton, Iowa, Business Management), and Emily Sjoberg (Fr., Citrus Heights, Calif., Undecided) all missed just once at 99-for-100.
The quartet of Nikolle Kussatz (So., Leighton, Iowa, Biology), Brianna Thompson (Jr., Campbellsport, Wis., Psychology), Noah De Boef (Sr., Leighton, Iowa, Industrial Technology), and Mathew Brindley (Sr., Earlham, Iowa, Industrial Technology) also scored for their team at 98-for-100.
Thompson finished third in the Women's Class AA standings, while Sjoberg won Women's Class A and Emily Uitermarkt (Sr., Otley, Iowa, Elementary Education) (95-for-100) won Women's Class B.
Of note, AA is the highest class, followed by A, B, C, and Open. Shooters are placed into certain classes due to how many ACUI shoots they participate in during the year prior to nationals.
The Statesmen finished second in Skeet at 495-for-500, while Hillsdale was first at 497.
Tanner Muff (Jr., Lincoln, Neb., Public Accounting) was perfect in the discipline at 100-for-100 to win the Men's Class A crown.
Brindley, Kussatz, and Hunter Block (Grad., Eldridge, Iowa, Master's of Organizational Leadership) were next at 99-for-100, while Uitermarkt also got on the scoreboard at 98-for-100.
Kussatz's score was good for third in Women's Class AA, while Uitermarkt headlined Women's Class A.
WPU's score of 476-for-500 was good for runner-up status in Doubles Trap; Midland earned the win at 479.
Cole Henning (So., Wilton, Iowa, Industrial Technology) was the program's top shooter at 97-for-100, while Trenton Giese (Fr., Muskego, Wis., Mechanical Engineering) was right behind him at 96-for-100.
Brindley was next at 95-for-100, while Thompson and Connor Gittings (Sr., Kansas City, Mo., Biology) each shattered 94 clays. Thompson took home gold in Women's Class AA.
A score of 99-for-100 by Brindley helped WPU take third in Doubles Skeet at 478-for-500. Hillsdale won the discipline at 485.
Kussatz and Wyatt Kresser (So., Independence, Iowa, Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management) tied at 96-for-100, while Cade Bowie (Jr., Benton, Ark., Business Management) broke through at 95-for-100. Block and Giese also contributed at 92-for-100.
Kussatz picked up another honor, finishing third in Women's Class AA.
A score of 437-for-450 was good for third in Sporting Clays, while Georgia Southern's 447 was first.
Brindley topped William Penn at 93-for-100, while Kresser (88), Gittings (86), Muff (85), and Nathan Roberts (So., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Mechanical Engineering) (85) also scored for the navy and gold.
WPU's worst finish of fourth came in Super Sporting at 461-for-500, but fortunately the crew did not lose much ground as it was only 10 shots behind winner Fort Hays State (471).
Roberts' 94-for-100 highlighted the efforts, while Brandon Nord (Jr., Hidden Valley Lake, Calif., New Media) tallied a 93-for-100 finish. Giese (92), Henning (91), and Muff (91) scored high as well.
All-America Success:
Brindley's all-around accuracy led him to finish third among all shooters at 574-for-600, which earned him First-Team All-America status. He was only three shots behind the national champion, while he topped all Division 2 shooters.
Muff and Kresser were next at 554-for-600 to collect Second-Team All-America honors. Henning's 553-for-600 score also netted Second-Team All-America recognition.
Kussatz finished the week with a score of 541-for-600 to claim a Women's First-Team All-America award.
Coach Uitermarkt Statement:
"I knew this team had the talent, the mindset, and the passion to win a national championship," Head Coach Colten Uitermarkt said. "I am so proud of them for fighting hard throughout the week. The athletes put in the work, and it showed."
