Bio

Steve Heaton is in his fifth year with the Shotgun Sports program with this being his first year as an assistant coach.

The first head coach in program history, he transformed William Penn into a national power.  Under Heaton's leadership, WPU won two national titles (ACUI in 2022, NCSSAA in 2023) and took home an incredible number of tournament crowns.

In his first season, he guided William Penn to four tournament titles, including the state SCTP Skeet crown, as well as a dual victory. Already a strong program, WPU made a huge improvement in its second year of existence, finishing second at the SCTP Nationals in the fall and then winning the ACUI Division 4 national title in the spring. The Statesmen headlined that effort by topping Division 4 in three disciplines, while even more impressively, finishing second among all schools in American Skeet. Over the span of the season, William Penn won eight tournament titles and had numerous individuals win HOA honors.

WPU was nearly unstoppable in its third year of existence, taking eight crowns, headlined by the NCSSAA national, regional, and state crowns.  The Statesmen earned 15 All-America awards in 2023.  In 2024, WPU claimed seven more All-America honors.

An avid hunter and shooter since childhood, Heaton was instrumental in the forming of the Oskaloosa High School shooting team in 2007. During his tenure, which lasted from 2007-2015, he coached American Skeet, American Trap, and Sporting Clays, helping the program to several state titles and numerous national honors.

Since 2009, Heaton has also coached a plethora of local youth and young adults in International Skeet, and over the past few years, he has shared his knowledge with other area high school teams.

Heaton is a certified coach through Iowa DNR Shotgun Sports, the National Sporting Clays Association, and USA Shooting. He is working towards his NSCA Level 2 instructor certification as well.

Heaton currently resides in Oskaloosa. He and his wife Kendra, who is also employed by William Penn University, have three children (Amanda, Alex, and Lake) and five grandchildren.