Mason, MI – Brody Lenington of Cedar Vale-Dexter High School (KS) won the crown in the final round on Sunday, July 14th. the athlete edged out a field of over 1,800 registered other high school students vieing for the title of National Champion.
Lenington shot a 97 in the qualifying round the previous day, putting him at 197th place going into the final. But through perseverance and determination the young man shot a perfect 100-straight, and then survived a shoot-off with 14 other athletes that also shot perfect scores in the day’s competition. In the end, after 55 more targets without a miss, Brody came out on top to claim his spot at the peak of the podium.
Madelyn Coats of Franklin-Waverly High School (IL) claimed the title of the top female clay target shooter in the nation. Madelyn was consistent, shooting a 99 the in the Saturday Qualifying Round to going into the final ranked 36th, and her 99 on Sunday placed her 16th in the nation and the #1 female high school clay target athlete in America.
Oregon’s Yamhill-Carlton High School won the team title in the event, coming out ahead of 259 other high school clay target teams with a score of 487 out of 500.
Athletes & teams representing 456 high schools from across the nation participated at the 2024 USA High School Clay Target League National Championship last weekend. The event held at the Michigan Trapshooting Association in Mason, MI and featured 3,000 athletes participating in team and individual qualifying events, culminating in a final Championship Round that awarded the top ten male and female athletes and top five teams in the country.
The National Championship was proudly presented by SCHEELS. Additional sponsors include: the U.S. Army, the Lansing Sports Commission, Ducks Unlimited, the Bass Pro/Cabela’s Outdoor Fund, Walker’s, Do-All Outdoors, Mark Zauhar, Friends of NRA, Sportsman’s Guide, GUNS.COM, Spandau Arms, Strike Visuals, and Winchester.
Make sure to visit the USAHSCTL National Championship Facebook page for photos and videos of the event! https://www.facebook.com/USAHSCTLNationalChampionship/
37,158 student athletes representing 1,795 high school teams across the country participated in USA Clay Target League programs this spring. Only the top athletes and teams qualified to register for the National Championship, based on season averages at the completion of the spring season.
About the USA Clay Target League
With nearly 52,000 participating athletes in the 2023-24 school year, the non-profit USA Clay Target League is America’s largest clay target shooting organization. The League offers trap, skeet, sporting clays, and 5-stand leagues to secondary and postsecondary schools across the country.
The League is the only 100% school-approved clay target shooting sport program in America. Every team must have school approval to participate. Most participating schools have lettering programs as well as yearbook inclusion for the teams. In addition, tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships are provided to qualifying seniors by the League and post-secondary institutions each year.
The League’s co-ed and adaptive nature are key attractions to schools nationwide: it’s fully Title IX compliant with both male and female athletes competing on the same team, and it’s an ‘adaptive’ sport, which allows students with physical disabilities to take part.
The League’s priorities are safety, fun, and marksmanship – in that order.
The League is the safest sport in school, with not one reported injury since the inception of the League in 2001. Each athlete must complete firearm safety certification before participation.
Visit https://highschool.usaclaytarget.com/usahsctl-national-championship/ for more information.
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