Ottumwa, IA – The Indian Hills Shotgun Sports squad, coming off one of its best seasons in program history, is set to open its 2024-25 campaign this weekend. The Warriors head to Jackson Junction, IA for the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) Trap Triangular.

DETAILS

ICCAC Trap Triangular

• Indian Hills  |  Kirkwood  |  Northeast Iowa
• Jackson Junction, IA  |  Turkey Valley Trap Range
• Saturday, September 7  |  10:00 AM

TRAP NOTES

The newly-branded Indian Hills Shotgun Sports squad, previously known as Indian Hills Sports Shooting, is set to open its 2024-25 campaign with the ICCAC Trap Triangular against East Division foes Kirkwood and Northeast Iowa.

• Indian Hills posted one of its best seasons in program history in 2023-24, placing second overall at the 2024 ACUI/SCTP Collegiate Clay Target Championship to finsih as national runners-up.
• The Warriors will once again take part in all three disciplines this year - trap, skeet, and sporting clays, as part of the ICCAC East Division.

WHO'S BACK?

Head coach Jake Stalzer, entering his eighth season at the helm of the program, returns 11 individuals from last year's squad - seven males and four females that all contributed heavily to a successful 2023-24 campaign.

• Indian Hills returns five All-Region performers from last year's record-breaking season. Aidan Eischen, Carson Abrams, Cooper Clark, Zane Kirubakaran, and Raymond Franzen were all honored by the ICCAC in its inaugural All-Region team.
• Abrams, Clark, and Kirubakaran all earned First-Team Sporting Clays honors while also earning a spot on both the Skeet and High Overall teams.
• The Warriors return all four of their female guns from last year in Emma Bradley, Emily Butler, Haley Byrge, and Scarlet Meyer. 
• Haley Byrge led the female side at last year's national championship with a 21st place individual finish with 252/300 targets. As a freshman, Byrge earned a spot on all four ICCAC All-Region teams, including a spot on the second-team High Overall.
• The Warriors also bring back veteran leadership in Jordan Patterson and Deven Renard who contributed to last year's run to nationals.

STALZER'S NOTES

"We are excited to get the 2024-25 Shotgun Sports campaign underway. We have the majority of the team back that was on the leaderboard week in and week out for us last year, and have added a handful of incomer's that I believe will fill those gaps well and also begin to contribute right away. Top guns returning include Carson Abrams, Haley Byrge, Cooper Clark, Aidan Eischen, and Zane Kirubakaran. Incomers that I look to produce right away for us include Emma Adams, Johnathon Boender, & Jason Stursma.

Our schedule looks very similar to last year's with our ICCAC East Division Trap Duals, one ICCAC East Division Skeet and Sporting Shoot, and then a few four-year competitions where we will be the only junior college in attendance to help gain more experience where the state tournament will be held, and also skeet and sporting rounds under our belt. Something different is what the ICCAC is calling Clay Target Craziness the last week of the season before the state tournament. It is a bracket style tournament to determine the conference's overall trap champion. This will make our regular season trap duals especially important this year due to how we will be seeded in the tournament and get home field advantage."

SIZING UP THE COMPETITION

Indian Hills, Kirkwood, and Northeast Iowa are three of the five trap teams in the ICCAC East Division and will matchup against one another for the season-opening shoot.

• The Warriors split last year's triangular after shooting a 473, the highest mark in three seasons. Indian Hills defeated Kirkwood 473-421 but fell to Northeast Iowa narrowly, 481-473.
• Indian Hills is 3-0 all-time vs. Kirkwood, taking down the Eagles in each of the last three seasons.
• The Warriors will look to get back on track against Northeast Iowa. Indian Hills, who won four consecutive duals against the Cougars from 2018-2021, have dropped the last two matchups.

PROJECTED LINEUP

WHAT'S NEXT

Indian Hills returns to action September 14-15 in Waukee, IA with the annual Simpson Invite at New Pioneer Gun Club.

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