College trapshooters from 25 schools will gather at Brittany Shooting Park outside Bunker Hill, Illinois, this weekend for the 2026 USA College Clay Target League National Championship, set for Oct. 30-Nov. 1. Bunker Hill sits about 40 minutes northeast of St. Louis.
A field of 189 athletes from 10 states has registered for the event, which decides individual and team national titles over 200 targets. Those competitors come from a much larger pool. This fall, 969 student athletes on 89 college and university teams took part in USACCTL programs.
New York is sending the most schools, with Alfred State College, Finger Lakes Community College, Mohawk Valley Community College, Paul Smith's College and SUNY Delhi registered. Michigan follows with Ferris State University, Mid Michigan College, Montcalm Community College and Western Michigan University. Host state Illinois is represented by Blackburn College, Illinois College and Lake Land College. Below is the full list.
| 2026 USA College Clay Target League National Championship Schools | |
| School | State |
| Alfred State College | New York |
| Allen Community College | Kansas |
| Bethany Lutheran College | Minnesota |
| Bismarck State College | North Dakota |
| Blackburn College | Illinois |
| Blackhawk Technical College | Wisconsin |
| Concordia College of Moorhead | Minnesota |
| Ferris State University | Michigan |
| Finger Lakes Community College | New York |
| Grand View University | Iowa |
| Illinois College | Illinois |
| Lake Area Technical College | South Dakota |
| Lake Land College | Illinois |
| Maine Maritime Academy | Maine |
| McPherson College | Kansas |
| Mid Michigan College | Michigan |
| Mohawk Valley Community College | New York |
| Montcalm Community College | Michigan |
| Paul Smith's College | New York |
| Southwest Wisconsin Technical College | Wisconsin |
| SUNY Delhi | New York |
| University of Mary | North Dakota |
| Valley City State University | North Dakota |
| Western Michigan University | Michigan |
| Western Technical College | Wisconsin |
Each athlete shoots 100 targets per day in two sessions of back-to-back 25-target rounds. That cumulative 200-target score counts toward both individual and team standings. Individuals compete in Gold and Silver classes based on their fall season-ending averages, while team totals come from a school’s top five scores regardless of class. A school needs at least five athletes to enter the team competition.
Individual ties are first broken by reverse run, counting backward from the final target until the first miss. If that doesn’t settle it, a shoot-off follows, with shooters moving back from the 16-yard line to 20, 24 and 27 yards. Anyone still standing after the fourth round faces faster targets from the 27-yard line until a winner emerges. A tie for the team title goes first to each squad’s highest Day 2 score.
Friday is set aside for team check-in and practice, capped by the Cosmic Clays event and a bonfire. Opening ceremonies begin Saturday at 8:45 a.m., followed by the first 100 targets and an Annie Oakley contest for coaches and athletes once scoring wraps. Sunday’s final 100 targets determine the national champions.
“Every year more and more colleges and universities are discovering what clay target shooting sports can add to campus life,” said John Nelson, president of the USA Clay Target League. “The League is proud to provide these institutions a safe, proven program that engages students, builds community and enhances their educational experience.”
Learn more at college.usaclaytarget.com.
