By Aaron Rodenhausen
Sports Editor
The Washington College Trap and Skeet team (WCTS) competed in the Collegiate Clay Target National Championships during the penultimate week of March, earning country-wide acclaim for their program. Senior Chris Johnson made history for the team when he placed first in the B-Class American Doubles event on Thursday.
Hosted jointly by the Association of College Unions International and the Scholastic Clay Target Program in San Antonio, Texas, the event was among the largest on record. Approximately 1,200 athletes and 62 Division III schools participated in the five-day competition. Moreover, WCTS faced challenging weather conditions, including temperatures ranging from 45 degrees to 95 degrees and winds between zero and 30 mph.
Nonetheless, WC’s athletes performed admirably throughout the week. WCTS finished 28 out of 52 schools in the American Skeet event on Monday, earning a total score of 444/500. Junior Max McNulty Van Oordt led the team with a personal score of 91/100.
For the next two days, WC shifted its focus to sporting games. On Tuesday, WCTS broke 404/500 in the Super Sporting Clays event and finished 21 out of 42 schools. The leading athlete of the day was sophomore Trice Moore with 86/100. Moore remained the high-scoring player on Wednesday, with 79/100 on the Sporting Clays course. Overall, WCTS scored 354/500 and placed 21 out of 51 schools.
WCTS returned to the skeet field on Thursday for the Doubles American Skeet, where they finished 446/500 and ninth out of 34 schools. Johnson hit 94 of 100 targets and placed first out of 80 competitors in the B-Class, earning the title of National Champion—WC’s first such men’s honor in the American Doubles Skeet.
“I owe every credit to our coaches, namely head coach Doug Pfaff,” Johnson said.
The award represented the culmination of Johnson’s dedicated Trap and Skeet career. Johnson’s journey with WCTS began nearly four years ago when he befriended members of the team during his freshman year. Once his sophomore year began, Johnson joined the program as a walk-on. He has felt the impact of that decision ever since.
“Learning the intricacies of each game (trap, skeet, sporting clays) and building meaningful, supportive relationships with coaches, teammates, and members of the shooting community has been invaluable in shaping my college experience,” Johnson said.
Although he will be graduating in May, Johnson hopes to continue giving back to his team in the years to come.
The national award was not the last of the WC team’s achievements at Championships. On Friday, the final day of nationals, WCTS finished 23 out of 51 schools (462/500) in American Trap and 15 out of 34 schools in American Doubles Trap (420/500). Moore led in both events (97/100 and 89/100, respectively), but freshman Jeffrey Paes finished second in American Trap with 94/100 and sophomore Gracie Heintzelman earned the same placement in American Doubles Trap with 88/100.
All told, WCTS placed 16 out of 29 Division III Colleges across the six events, tallying a total score of 2,530/3,000. With a team of only six members, fewer than the College’s other recent squads, WCTS delivered an impressive performance and ended the season on a high note.
“The team is looking at a bright future with a strong incoming class,” Johnson said. “I hope to stay involved in target shooting after graduation, but even more so I hope that this team continues to positively impact its athletes.”
Photo Caption: Senior Chris Johnson placed first out of 80 competitors in the American Doubles Skeet at the Collegiate Clay Target National Championships.
Photo courtesy of WC Athletics.