WAUKEE — The William Penn shotgun sports team made an early-season statement by defeating two of the sport’s biggest Goliaths to win the Simpson Invitational last Saturday and Sunday.
The Statesmen finished first out of eight teams at 1,660-for-1,750, nipping Lindenwood (Mo.) by one target and Midland (Neb.) by three shots. Lindenwood is the defending national champion in ACUI Division I, while Midland placed second last year in ACUI Division II.
It marks the first time in program history that WPU has defeated Lindenwood in a tournament.
The navy and gold sat in second place after the opening day at 933-for-1,000, while Lindenwood was at the top at 939-for-1,000. Midland was in the mix as well at 931-for-1,000. William Penn placed third in Trap at 492-for-500, while taking second in Sporting Clays at 441-for-500.
The Super Sporting discipline ended up being the difference-maker as the Statesmen picked up seven shots on Lindenwood with a runner-up finish at 231-for-250. WPU then held off LU and MU in Skeet (496-for-500, second place) for the High Overall (HOA) title.
The Statesmen’s Trap score was paced by 99-for-100 postings from Emily Sjoberg (Fr., Citrus Heights, Calif., Undecided) and Hayden Lund (Fr., Beaverdam, Wis., Sports Management). The quintet of Brianna Thompson (Jr., Campbellsport, Wis., Psychology), Hunter Block (Grad., Eldridge, Iowa, Master’s of Organizational Leadership), Tanner Muff (Jr., Lincoln, Neb., Public Accounting), Trenton Giese (Fr., Muskego, Wis., Mechanical Engineering), and Nikolle Kussatz (So., Leighton, Iowa, Biology) all tied at 98-for-100 as well.
Sjoberg and Lund participated in a shoot-off for third, but did not place.
Colton Heintz-Kuderer (So., Mabel, Minn., Biology) guided his crew in Sporting Clays at 91-for-100, while Muff and Cade Bowie (Jr., Benton, Ark., Business Management) tied for second on WPU’s team at 89-for-100. The trio of Sjoberg, Giese, and Dryden DeKoning (Sr., Newton, Iowa, Business Management) also scored for William Penn at 86-for-100.
Heintz-Kuderer tied for first and won the shoot-off for the Sporting Clays crown. Muff and Bowie both competed in a shoot-off as well, but failed to place.
Bowie, Giese, and Muff headlined the Statesmen in Super Sporting at 47-for-50, while five individuals recorded scores of 45-for-50. That listed included Sjoberg, Mathew Brindley (Sr., Earlham, Iowa, Industrial Technology), Carver Van Zee (Jr., Pella, Iowa, Industrial Technology), Connor Gittings (Sr., Kansas City, Mo., Biology), and Wyatt Kresser (So., Independence, Iowa, Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management).
Giese, Bowie, and Muff tied for third and Giese earned the shoot-off victory for the bronze.
Brindley was perfect in Skeet with a 100-for-100 performance. He went into a five-person shoot-off and finished fourth overall. Muff, Gittings, Emily Uitermarkt (Sr., Otley, Iowa, Elementary Education), and Cole Henning (So., Wilton, Iowa, Industrial Technology) also put up scores for the navy and gold at 99-for-100.
Muff’s overall showing placed him second in the HOA standings at 333-for-350, finishing two shots behind the champion.
Sjoberg matched Muff by capturing runner-up honors in the Female HOA race at 327-for-350. The freshman was four targets behind the champion.
“I am incredibly proud of how this team has been performing in practices,” Head Coach Colten Uitermarkt said. “The hard work they have shown in practice by creating their own individual plans has ultimately had a positive effect on their results. The results from this weekend truly show how talented this team is and what they are capable of.”
Next Up: William Penn travels to Lincoln, Neb. Friday through Sunday to compete in the Midland Invitational.
