ICCAC Sports Shooting announced their inaugural All-Region qualifiers and special awards on Monday after the 2023 season. Award earners were recognized based on statistics throughout the season.
This year's Shooters of the Year were named after earning the best score of the High Over All criteria. Hawkeye's Colton Crooks took the Male Shooter of the Year honor with Southeastern's Jenna Smith earning the Female Shooter of the Year award.
Crooks was strong all year long and had a dominating ICCAC Championship performance. Crooks was First Team All-Region in all four categories -- and the No. 1 shooter in each as well. At the Region 11 Championships, he swept the event with a 98 in Trap, a 99 in Skeet and an 88 in Sporting Clays. Overall, his HOA score was 762 out of 800 targets. His best score were his 99 in Skeet and a regular season Trap 99 -- with his lowest being his regular season Sporting Clay score of 87. He beat out the second-highest scorer, Cody Dickerson of Iowa Central, by 35 targets.
Smith took home Female Shooter of the Year after reaching First Team in all four categories as well. She was the league's top skeet shooter with a 94 in the championship and season-best 94. She was the second-highest scorer in Trap and Sporting Clays, propelling her ahead of Hayley Starmer of Hawkeye for the leader in HOA.
Her best score was a 98 Trap performance during the regular season.
The other members of the ICCAC Men's First Team were three Iowa Central shooters, Dickerson, Kaelan Smith and Jacob Geis, along with Southeastern's Abram Lorence.
The women's side saw Iowa Central's Emma Chapin, the league's top Trap shooter, and Keeley Waack along with Hawkeye's duo of Starmer and Lydia Covet. Starmer was the league's top Sporting Clay shooter this year.
Other notable performers in Trap, the league's main discipline, were Janice Tejeda and Abby Johnson of Iowa Western -- Both were First Team Trap performers. Tejeda was the HOA Champ at the ICCAC Championships, and Johnson won the Women's Trap Championship.
Northeast Iowa's Ashley Fischer was the final Trap First Teamer.
For Men's Trap, Hawkeye added Blaedyn Benscoter to the list in addition to Crooks. Iowa Central's Nathan Swanson qualified with Dickerson. Ben Menking of Iowa Western and Tristan Lewison of Northeast Iowa each reached the First Team threshold as well.
Voted on by the coaches, Troy Emley of Hawkeye was named Coach of the Year. The RedTails won the Region 11 Trap Championship and were the East Division Trap and Skeet Champions.
The RedTails boasted the top two scorers at the Region 11 Champions in Trap in Crooks and Benscoter, and added Sam Singewald to the top 5. Hawkeye had six shooters total on the HOA All-Region teams.
2023 All-Region Teams:
All-Region Scoring Criteria:
HOA: Best Three (3) Regular Season Trap + One (1) Skeet + One (1) Sporting Clay + Championship Score in Each
Trap: Best Three (3) Regular Season Scores + ICCAC Championship Score
Skeet: Best Regular Season Score + ICCAC Championship Score
Sporting Clay: Best Regular Season Score + ICCAC Championship Score