After a lengthy layoff, the Upper Iowa shotgun sports team returned to competition at the Iowa SCTP Four-Year College State Championships this past weekend.  The event was held at New Pioneer Gun Club in Waukee, Iowa and featured teams from six different Iowa schools and the Iowa State Trap and Skeet Club.
 
Each competitor shot 100 targets in three different disciplines over the course of two days and 50 targets in one other discipline.  The teams shot American trap and sporting clays on Saturday before shooting skeet and super sporting clays on Sunday.
 
UIU finished one place out of team awards in 4th with a total score of 1,426 targets.  William Penn University finished with the highest score at 1,551 and were followed by Wartburg College (1,492) and Simpson College (1,489).
 
In trap shooting, the Peacocks finished 4^th as a team hitting 475/500 targets.  Individually, Colton Heintz-Kuderer finished with the top score on the team at 96/100.  He was followed by Jayden Shaw (95/100), Brady Carrigan (95/100), Connor Gittings (95/100), and William Ostenson (94/100).
 
UIU saw a slight drop off when it came to shooting sporting clays as they finished 5^th with a total of 192/300.  Heintz-Kuderer once again led the team with a score of 66/100, followed by Shaw (63/100) and Quinn Schuppner (63/100).
 
On Sunday, the Peacocks finished 4^th in skeet shooting with a total of 442/500 targets.  Angelina Monfrey had the team's high score at 91/100.  She was followed by Shaw (90/100), Heintz-Kuderer (89/100), Lucas Riberich (88/100), and Schuppner (84/100).
 
UIU wrapped up the event by finishing 4^th in super sporting clays, hitting 120/150 targets.  Shaw (41/50), Schuppner (40/50), and Gittings (39/50) all contributed to the team score.
 
Despite missing out on team awards, the Peacocks had two competitors claim individual awards.  Monfrey finished with the 3^rd highest Ladies Overall score and her skeet shooting total was the 2^nd best Ladies Individual score.  She was joined by Schuppner, who finished with the 5^th best Ladies Overall score and the 4^th best Ladies Individual score in sporting clays.

"The team handled themselves well with conditions out of their control like weather and a field breaking down," said Head Coach Reba Kingsley.  "They put in the work on and off the range all fall and we had some good performances as a team and individuals. As a younger team, this was the first state championships for many of our student athletes, so it gave them an idea of the level of performance with other Iowa four-year colleges as we look ahead and set goals as a team." 

Up next, the UIU shotgun sports team will break for the winter before returning to the range on February 27^th for an event hosted by Lindenwood University in Hazelwood, Missouri.