Personal Bests, Podium Finishes, and Program Records...Oh My!

The Montcalm Community College Centurion Clay Target team concluded their season on a high note. The team traveled to Hillsdale College to compete against other Michigan colleges in various disciplines, including trap, skeet, and for the first time, sporting clays, in pursuit of overall high awards.

The team finished the day just 15 targets behind Hillsdale College, achieving a new program record of 483 and securing a second-place trophy. They also established a new team record by scoring 50 consecutive targets in the last two rounds, totaling 247 out of 250. Freshman Jack McBride led the team with a perfect score of 100, the only male competitor to accomplish this feat for the day, thereby claiming the top spot in trap. Fellow freshman Evan Plonka finished with a total score of 98, shooting rounds of 24, 25, 24, and 25, which placed him fourth in trap. Freshman Chase Merritt secured ninth place with a score of 97, including a 50-straight in the last two rounds. Sophomore Drake Syrjala and freshman Azariah Trumble both scored 94, with Syrjala finishing in 18th place and Trumble in 19th place based on a reverse run.

In skeet, the team achieved a combined score of 396 out of 500, placing fourth in the competition. Syrjala led the team with 90 clay targets hit, finishing in 13th place in skeet. Plonka followed in 17th place with a score of 84, while McBride recorded 81 points for 19th place overall. Merritt shot a score of 73, and Trumble finished with 68.

For the first time this season and in program history, the team participated in the Sporting Clays discipline, achieving an impressive score of 358 out of 500 in their debut. Syrjala led in this discipline with a score of 81, followed by Plonka with 75, McBride with 71, Trumble with 70, and Merritt with 61. Overall, the team secured a third-place finish for the day with a combined score of 1237. Olivet University placed second with 1293 points, while Hillsdale College took first place with 1456 points.

Montcalm Community College was the only two-year institution to compete in the championships and returned home with three trophies. Following an outstanding final invitation for the season, the team is eager to enhance their performance for next year and continue to establish themselves as a dominant force in Clay Target sports.