HILLSDALE, Mich. — Hillsdale College shotgun team member Jordan Sapp took home a gold medal during the International Shooting Sport Federation World Championship in Osijek, Croatia. Sapp, a Hillsdale College freshman, competed on USA Shooting’s three-man Junior Skeet Team.

“I was honored to represent my country,” said Sapp. “I’d like to thank everyone who has helped get me here – my parents, my coaches, and my teammates.”

The Junior Skeet Team competed on Oct. 5 and received a total score of 6, earning them a gold medal. Sapp competed with the team and made it to the semifinals in the Junior Men’s Individual Skeet and ended in a three-way tie for fifth place. The gold medal comes in the midst several other individual and team victories for Hillsdale College’s shotgun team.

In March, now-senior shooter Ida Brown took home a silver medal at the Shotgun World Cup in Nicosia, Cyprus, as did one of the team’s assistant coaches, Caitlin Connor-Royer. Over the summer, sophomore Josh Corbin earned a silver medal for international skeet at both the Junior Olympics and USA Shooting National Championship. Sophomore Kyle Fleck earned bronze at both events.

In October, the Hillsdale College shotgun team placed second team high overall at the ACUI/SCTP Central Midwest Regional Championship and high overall at the ACUI/SCTP Upper Midwest Conference Championship. Corbin earned individual high overall honors at both events, and Brown earned women’s high overall honors at both events. “We really have an impressive team this year,” said Jordan Hintz, head coach of the Hillsdale College shotgun team. “They are good shooters who stay cool under pressure and have a serious desire to get better.”

USA Shooting had an excellent showing in other events, earning one gold medal, one silver medal, one bronze medal, and three Olympic quotas.

Derrick Scott Mein was awarded a gold medal in the Men’s Trap Medal Match on Sept. 28, earning a total score of 33 and a quota to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Mein is the first Men’s Trap Champion from the United States since 1996. Samantha Simonton competed on Oct. 9 in the Women’s Skeet Medal Match and received a total score of 24. She was awarded a bronze medal and an Olympic quota. Vincent Hancock, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, competed in the Men’s Skeet Medal Match on Oct. 9 and received a total score of 35, earning him a silver medal and Olympic quota in Men’s Skeet.

In Sept. 2019, the Hillsdale College John Anthony Halter Shooting Sports Education Center became the official home of USA Shooting. “Our partnership with USA Shooting has been a real blessing,” said Rich Péwé, Hillsdale College’s chief administrative officer. “The USA Shooting team gets to practice and compete at one of the finest comprehensive shooting sports facilities in the country. The Hillsdale College team gets to interact, practice, and be coached by some of the best people you would ever want to meet, who are also some of the best shooters in the world.”

About the John Anthony Halter Shooting Sports Education Center

The Halter Center is a state-of-the-art shooting facility located five miles from the Hillsdale College campus. Opened in 2008, the Center aims to introduce individuals to shooting sports and encourage interest across all levels of experience. The Halter Center also serves an educational purpose by promoting the principles of the Constitution and teaching beginner and experienced shooters in various classes. Home to Hillsdale College’s collegiate shooting teams and the USA national team, the Halter Center is also a resource for the public through camps, conferences, and other programming. For more information, visit shootingsports.hillsdale.edu.

Hillsdale College has been the home of the USA Shooting National Team since 2019 and has hosted USA Shooting Junior Olympic Trap and Skeet development camps and championships. The Center boasts 113 range acres, four international skeet fields, a 23-station sporting clays course, five international bunkers, a small arms range and international archery range, nine American Trap fields, and an AcuSport lodge and grill.

About Hillsdale College

Hillsdale College is an independent, nonsectarian, Christian liberal arts college located in southern Michigan. Founded in 1844, the College has built a national reputation through its classical liberal arts core curriculum and its principled refusal to accept federal or state taxpayer subsidies, even indirectly in the form of student grants or loans. It also conducts an outreach effort promoting civil and religious liberty, including a free monthly speech digest, Imprimis, with a circulation of more than 6.3 million. For more information, visit hillsdale.edu.

CONTACT

Emily Stack Davis | 517-803-3745 | PR@hillsdale.edu