2023 Championship Preview | ICCAC Sports Shooting

October 19, 2023

WAUKEE, Iowa - The 11 teams from the ICCAC that participate in sports shooting will meet at the New Pioneer Gun Club in Waukee on Oct. 21-22 to compete in the 2023 ICCAC Championships.

This is the second year that the entire ICCAC schedule has been condensed into the fall calendar. Additionally, this season's championship will be the earliest, as the dual schedule was adjusted to compensate for weather and hunting openers. Over the two-day event, shooters will compete in a number of disciplines -- trap, skeet and sporting clays.

Iowa Central, 5-0, won the West Division Trap title again this season, as did Hawkeye, 4-0, in the East Division. Both teams have won their respective divisions since the ICCAC established a sports shooting dual schedule in 2018-19. The two teams are certainly going to be looked at as contenders for this year's championships, but both Southeastern and Iowa Western have a shot as well.

The SCC Blackhawks went 3-1 in trap duals this season, with their only loss coming to Hawkeye, which went to a sixth shooter tie-breaker after a 474 tie among the top 5.

Although Iowa Central has won the division six years running, their last ICCAC Championship came back in 2018-19, since then, Iowa Western has won two titles, Hawkeye won last season, and the 2019-20 championship was canceled due to COVID.

Here is a list of some of the top trap shooters to watch this weekend.

Colton Crooks, Hawkeye
Blaedyn Benscoter, Hawkeye
Aidan Eischen, Indian Hills
Emma Chapin, Iowa Central
Jacob Geis, Iowa Central
Ben Menking, Iowa Western
Janice Tejeda, Iowa Western
Tristan Lewison, Northeast Iowa
Skyler Mullinix, Northwest Iowa
Blake Van Roekel, Northwest Iowa
Jenna Smith, Southeastern
Abram Lorence, Southeastern
Logan Elits, Southwestern

As for Skeet & Sporting Clays, there were only two competitions this season, a triangular between Indian Hills, Hawkeye & Southeastern, and a dual between Iowa Central and Southwestern. Hawkeye won the Skeet portion of the triangular and Indian Hills won Sporting Clays. Iowa Central beat Southwestern in both disciplines.

Last year, Iowa Western took home both Skeet & Sporting Clays at the ICCAC Championships.

Action begins at 8:00 a.m. in on Saturday, Oct. 21. Check back in next week to find out who took home what championship, both individually and as a team!