BUNKER HILL, Ill. — Alfred State College (N.Y.) won the team title at the 2026 USA College Clay Target League National Championship, separating itself from Lake Land College (Ill.) on a tiebreaker after both squads finished at 962. Tanner Schmaus of Montcalm Community College (Mich.) also needed a tiebreaker to take the individual crown. His 199 of 200 was matched by Alfred State’s Justin Jerome.
Held Oct. 30-Nov. 1 at Brittany Shooting Park, the trap championship drew 189 athletes from 25 colleges and universities in 10 states.
Alfred State’s 962 earned the program both the Overall and Gold Class team championships. Jerome’s 199 anchored the effort and gave Alfred State a second place in the Gold Male standings to go with its team title. Concordia College of Moorhead (Minn.) took third in Gold Class at 947, 15 targets behind the leaders.
Schmaus dropped one target over 200 to win the High Overall Individual title and the Gold Male division. One target was all that separated the top three men. Lake Land’s Collin Hewing finished third with 198.
In Gold Female, Morgan Jensen of the University of Mary (N.D.) shot 197 for the win. Valley City State University (N.D.) placed two athletes on the podium behind her, with Gretchen Deaver at 196 and Cali Steffan at 193.
Bismarck State College (N.D.) controlled the Silver Class. Its team won with 914, ahead of Western Technical College (Wis.) at 903 and Bethany Lutheran College (Minn.) at 896. Bismarck State’s Seth Kuhnhenn (191) and Tyler Meyers (188) went one-two in Silver Male, and Bethany Lutheran’s Taylor Bates was third with 187. Reece Winebrinner of Illinois College won Silver Female with 183. McPherson College (Kan.) shooter Samantha Dean took second and Cheyenne Terry of Finger Lakes Community College (N.Y.) took third, both with 182.
“Congratulations to Alfred State, Tanner Schmaus and every athlete who competed this weekend,” said John Nelson, President of the USA Clay Target League. “These students represented their schools with skill, sportsmanship and a commitment to safety, and they showed why clay target shooting sports continue to grow on college campuses across America.”
The national championship capped a fall season in which 969 students on 89 college and university teams competed in USA College Clay Target League programs. The parent organization, a nonprofit, counts more than 57,000 athletes across its secondary and postsecondary programs in 2026, offering trap, skeet, sporting clays and five-stand.
Complete results are available here.
Learn more about the USA College Clay Target League.
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